


What Is

by Serani



Category: Naruto
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Eventual Happy Ending, Frottage, Humor, M/M, Oral Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-11-06 13:43:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17940800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serani/pseuds/Serani
Summary: Waking up after a night of drinking in bed naked with a strange person wasn't all that common to begin with. But when Yamato wakes up naked in bed with a man... Umino Iruka... he's forced to face a whole lot of possibilities he never imagined. Iruka had never even considered he might be gay--or bi--and waking up naked in bed with Yamato was the last thing he'd ever expected. Now the two of them must decide if there's more to this than a drunken mistake. If they can get past the embarrassment and their own hangups, they might just find something they'd never expected--and that could be the best thing they could ever want.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. I do not own Naruto, any of it's spinoffs, sequels, characters, world, etc., etc., etc.  
> 2\. I started this ages ago on AFF and Y!Gal. I've edited heavily and am posting it here. (If you've seen it on AFF or Y!Gal, this IS better. I promise!) I'll be updating AFF but Y!Gal is, of course, gone.  
> 3\. I refuse to recognize canon after a certain point in the Naruto story (~ch. 614/ep. 364). :P This story doesn't really deal with anything different. It's after the war, before most things have changed, and they're still rebuilding. Still, maybe consider this to be an alternative timeline.  
> 4\. I make no guarantees about finishing this. :/ I want to, but writing has been a challenge, at best. I'm in school again and it's... not easy... to find the mental energy to write anything, including fanfic. (I have original, paid works I should be doing...) BUT! I have 10 chapters written, 6 fully edited, so there's plenty of story to get started with. :)

When Yamato surfaced to consciousness, the first thing he knew was pain. Brain-crushing, skull splitting pain. He kept his eyes closed so the bright morning sunlight didn't hurt any more than it had to. Even with his lids closed, there was enough light filtering through them to make things worse.

If he could move enough to get the pillow, he could cover his face with it and maybe go back to sleep for a little while. He didn't have to go anywhere that day. He was off, so he could afford to.

But as he started trying to figure out how to get to his pillow without moving his head, he became aware of a few other things.

First, he was naked. That didn't surprise him too much, since he usually slept naked. He didn't remember getting naked—didn't remember coming home at all—and _that_ surprised him. He very rarely got so drunk he couldn't remember things.

Second, he was taking up much less space in the bed than he normally did. He usually sprawled, mostly on his stomach, which might help explain the severity of the headache. Waking up with a headache wasn’t typical, but sometimes when he slept on his back, he slept funny and hurt his head.

And he _was_ on his back, which was the third thing he noticed. He was on his back because he wasn't alone, which was even more rare. He didn't remember bringing anyone home and under normal circumstances, he would have remembered that, but in this case, he didn't.

What was worse was he didn't know who it was. He'd have to open his eyes to find out and that meant seeing light. Oh boy. The only thing he could tell about the person without looking was that their head was resting on his chest at the shoulder and they had longish hair. That didn't tell him much without opening his eyes.

 _Please don't let it be Sakura. Please don't let it be Sakura._ With the current state of his head, he did _not_ need to fly to the other end of Konoha. And bringing Sakura home, having sex with her, and forgetting that, would be a sure-fired way of taking a trip via Sakura Air. He swallowed hard and opened one eye. Brown hair. He breathed a huge sigh of relief. Okay. Not Sakura.

But, then, who was it? Who did he know with brown hair?

Anko's was black, so it wasn't her. Kurenai didn't go to the bar since she had her kid. Shizune had brown hair. That… wouldn't be too bad. But he didn't want to cross her and he was scared to death of what she'd do when she found out he didn't remember being with her. Those senbon needles she was so good with terrified him. He swallowed again. She wasn't the only kunoichi with brown hair, though.

There was the younger girl, Tenten, from Gai's team. He doubted he would have spoken to her, much less taken her home and had sex with her, but considering the total blank the night before was, it was possible. _Think!_ There was the other woman… what was her name? Maiko! That was it. Maiko. She was the teacher that had asked him to show some of the younger kids his wood release techniques.

Okay, well. Shizune, Tenten, or Maiko. He couldn't possibly think of anyone else. None of them were going to be happy with him, regardless of who it was, if for no other reason than the fact that he _couldn't remember_ them. Well, maybe the fact that he was ticked off at himself for it would defuse part of their anger.

 _Not likely,_ his inner-self said, and Yamato had to admit it was right. Women were awfully damned funny about that kind of thing. He sighed. There was nothing for it. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could go drink water, take some painkiller, and die quietly. After the screaming match, of course.

He swallowed hard and opened both eyes. He still couldn't tell much, apart from the hair. It was long and straight and a very beautiful chocolate brown color. It smelled nice, too, under the bar smoke. Something citrusy. And what he could feel of it on his shoulder was very soft. Maybe, if she didn't kill him, he'd ask her on a real date and he could spend some time with that hair.

The head was bent a little, so all he could see was the back of it. He moved his eyes down and stopped dead when he got to the hand laying on his stomach. He blinked at it several times, trying desperately to make his brain and his eyes work together. His eyes were telling him one thing, and his brain was refusing to believe it.

The hand was a man's hand.

No no no. Not possible. It couldn't be. There was no way he'd be in bed, naked, with another man. So, he had to be seeing things. That was it; it was his headache. The light was making things look funny, and it was making the hand look like a man's hand. That was it.

Satisfied with his logic, Yamato looked up at his ceiling. But the light hanging from his ceiling didn't look odd at all. It looked…normal. The morning sunlight coming in around the blinds was the same as it always was. There was nothing funny about the way the sunlight bounced off of the globe. He blinked at it a moment; then his mouth twisted into a frown of puzzlement.

Okay, well, huh. Maybe it was just the angle of it. He looked down again and tried to tilt his head just a little to see if it changed.

The hand didn't, but he could have sworn his brain shifted inside his skull. Ow owowowowo!

 _That's what you get for getting drunk, bringing a man home and having sex with him, then passing out and not remembering anything!_ his inner-self taunted him.

 _I didn't bring a man home!_ he shouted in his head and actually winced. Even shouting inside his own head hurt.

_Then what is that laying on you?_

_It's a woman, dammit_ , he insisted to his inner-self.

_Uh huh._

Yamato swallowed. Maybe… maybe they didn't do anything. If it was a man—and he wasn't even ready to admit it was—but if it was a man, maybe they just passed out and didn't do anything.

Before he could be too worried about _what_ he'd done, he still needed to figure out _who_ he was with. And from his vantage point, without moving, the only two things he could see were the brown hair and the male hand. He was going to have to move.

He took a deep breath and braced himself. Then he started to move.

"Please don't move too much. It hurts so bad." An obviously male voice moaned. "Um, and why am I in bed with a man?"

Oh shit. It was a man. He gulped. "Um…" _Brilliant, Yamato. Just brilliant._ "I have no idea."

The person—man—looked up at him. _Iruka?!_ "Yamato?"

Oh fuck. He was in bed, naked, with Umino Iruka. How the _hell_ did that happen? He blinked down into the face looking up at him. And what happened? He got his first answer. He knew who he was in bed with, but what did they do?

He gave a faint smile. "Hi. Um… Do…" He closed his eyes. What the hell did he do? He never did this with a woman, much less a man. _Shit._ "Do you remember what happened?"

"Not a clue," Iruka said. Okay, well, maybe it wasn't so bad, then. They were naked and in bed, that was all. Maybe they didn't do anything with each other.

_"Fuck! That feels good!" Yamato moaned. "More, oh fuck, more."_

What the fuck? What was he remembering? No. No no no no no.

Yamato cleared his throat. "I don't remember anything, either." Iruka moved gingerly to sit up. That was when Yamato realized his arm was around Iruka. He moved it quickly, jarring himself and sparking a moan.

"I know. Oh damn, that hurts. How much did I drink last night?" Iruka carefully perched on the edge of the bed, holding his head in his hands.

Yamato closed his eyes. "I have no idea. I don't know how much I did, either." He started to sit up—taking care with his movements—holding his head as still as possible. "Water. We need water."

Whatever his fears and questions about the night before, he couldn't let Iruka be miserable and he was obviously about as miserable as Yamato was, himself. He moved to the side of the bed and stood gingerly. Yamato paused a moment when he realized he was going to be standing up in front of Iruka completely naked. He’d changed before around his team members—especially in ANBU, but somehow, with the half-formed memories of the night before, it felt a lot different. He shoved the thought aside. Iruka's head was still resting in his hands and they had bigger things to worry about at the moment.

He stumbled into the kitchen and pulled two glasses out of the cabinet. Grabbing the little bottle of pain killer, Yamato filled the glasses, then walked back into the bedroom, taking slow, deliberate steps. He handed one of the glasses to an obviously very grateful Iruka and sat next to him, concentrating on opening the bottle of pills. He spilled a few onto his palm and held it out.

"Thank you. Very much," Iruka whispered, taking them.

"You're welcome." Yamato took a couple himself and drank the water down. "Do you remember anything?"

Iruka stared at the floor between his feet a moment. "I vaguely recall talking to you for a while at the Krooked Kunai last night."

Yamato started to nod before he remembered how bad his head hurt. "Yeah, okay, I remember some of that."

_He pushed Iruka against the wall, their mouths battling. Their tongues touched and slid along each other’s, bringing sounds from both of them. "Fuck, Yamato, you're good at that," Iruka moaned, sliding his hands up under Yamato's shirt._

He blinked. _They did_. He had no idea to what extent, but they did _something_. Glancing sideways, he caught a glimpse of the hair again. He swallowed hard, as another memory floated around about that hair. "Damn, how much did we drink? I don't remember ever having a hangover this bad before." Yamato queried his stomach. "I wonder if I can hold down food."

"I wouldn’t try it. If it's anything like my stomach, the water alone is starting to rebel," Iruka said. "I think I'd be really happy if I could just curl up and die."

Yamato looked around the floor and, spotting his pants and underwear, he stood and picked them up. "You're welcome to lay back down. I'll go out to the couch."

"Don't be ridiculous. This is your house. How did we get here, anyway?" Iruka asked as he stood, too, looking around, undoubtedly for his clothes. His underwear was over by the bathroom door. Geez.

Yamato sighed. "I have no idea. And I'm not going to make you lay on the couch."

But why was he here in the first place? Yamato pulled his underwear and pants on while Iruka had his back turned.

_"Maybe we should make sure each other gets home okay," Yamato said, finishing his bottle. He tried to carefully set it on the bar, but surface wouldn't stop moving. "Why won't the bar sit still?" he asked, turning to Iruka._

_"Because you're as me as drunk I am," Iruka answered._

_"Oh. Okay." Yamato nodded, since that made perfect sense to him. He set the bottle down, anyway, hoping it would land somewhere safe and turned back to Iruka. "Come on, we should probably go home."_

_"Right." Iruka stood up and started to take a step, but stumbled. Yamato put a hand out to steady him and Iruka leaned into Yamato._

"Okay, a little bit of it is coming back. We… were going to make sure we both got home safe, somehow. Though, how we thought we'd accomplish that, I have no idea," Yamato said, draining his water glass.

Iruka finished pulling his own pants on and gingerly sat back down on the side of the bed. Neither man's shirt was anywhere in the bedroom. Yamato gulped. That could only mean they'd stripped them off near the front door somewhere.

"Drunken logic," Iruka said.

"Huh?" Yamato looked over at him.

"That's how we thought we'd manage to make sure the other person got home safe. Somehow, you could make sure I did, and I could make sure you did. Drunken logic." Iruka shook his head slightly, but stopped and his face paled even more.

"Don't do that. Don't shake your head. You'll end up losing your stomach contents that way." Yamato pointed to the bed. "Lay back down. I'm going to get more water."

Iruka looked like he wanted to argue, but apparently decided better of it and took the offered spot on the bed.

Yamato slowly walked back into the kitchen and braced himself on the counter.

_Iruka pulled Yamato’s shirt off and fastened his mouth onto a bit of skin. Yamato moaned. "More." He leaned in, pushing himself against Iruka, their arousals rubbing against each other._

_"Yes. Fuck, that feels so good. More, please…" Iruka begged._

_Yamato started to move against him, reacting to the feel of Iruka’s arousal. "Yes!" He found himself pushed back and then turned. Iruka pinned him to the wall and a few seconds later, the button on his pants opened and then Iruka wrapped a hand around his cock. "_ Fuck! _"_

_He took Iruka's mouth again, yanking at his shirt, popping a few buttons and tossing it away. Yamato pulled back from Iruka’s lips and bit down on his neck, instead, sucking on the skin. "Ah!" Iruka started to move the hand on his cock and Yamato let go of the skin to moan loudly._

They'd definitely had sex, at least to a point. He refilled their water glasses and stumbled back into the bedroom. This time, he looked Iruka over. There were bite marks all over his neck and shoulder and Yamato had a feeling he looked similar.

He'd never done that. Ever. He wasn't gay, didn't have sex with men. He had no idea what had prompted him to do so the night before, even under the influence of alcohol.

He perched on the side of the bed, and Iruka sat up a little. "Drink more water. Half the hangover is dehydration." Iruka took the glass, and they stared at each other over it.

"I've… I don't remember the last time I woke up next to _anyone_ and not remembered what happened. And, um…"

"Never with a man. Yeah, me either," Yamato said, drinking from his own glass. He swallowed hard. "Is anything coming back to you?"

Iruka glanced down from Yamato's face to his neck and back up again. "Some."

"Yeah." Yamato turned to lean on his own knees. "I… I'm not…"

"Yeah, me either. So, um…"

"We'll forget this happened," Yamato said, glancing back over his shoulder. He wondered why the look of relief that passed over Iruka's face bothered him.

"Right." Iruka swallowed.

 

Why did that bother him? He _wasn't_ gay! Even if Iruka remembered some of the most fantastic sex of his life from the night before. And he remembered quite a bit, though he wasn't sure he wanted to let Yamato know that. He just didn't _have_ that much sex. That was all. It wasn't because he'd been with a man. No, of course not.

Iruka frowned, thinking about it. He remembered most of the conversation at the bar. They'd spent hours talking, getting slowly drunk, though he didn't think Yamato realized that at the time any more than he had. He couldn’t remember _what_ they'd talked about, just that they had.

He did remember, like Yamato did, both of them saying something about making sure the other one got home safely. Well, he suppose they did, to a point. They were safe and they were in _a_ home. Exactly what all happened after they got in the door was still a little fuzzy.

He did remember the kisses. Remembered… he blushed. He remembered putting his mouth on Yamato. Oh no, he didn't. No, he _did_. He'd sucked Yamato off.

_No._

Was he?

He took a breath to calm himself down. Doing that once, did _not_ make a person gay; he was sure of that! He blinked down at the glass in front of him and drank a little more. Yamato was right about the water. He was starting to feel a little better. Physically, at least.

Iruka set the empty glass on the bedside table and laid back down. He had to get out of there, but if he stepped into the sun right then, he'd curl into a little ball right on the street. "Look, this bed is big enough, if I scoot over. You shouldn't be kicked out of your bed for me." So saying, he moved over as far as he could and, after staring at him a moment, Yamato laid down.

Yamato rolled until they were facing each other, as far apart as they could, making sure not to touch. "Do we… apologize?"

"I have no idea. I will. I mean, I am, to a point, at least." Iruka sighed and closed his eyes. "That didn't come out right. I don’t remember what we did, entirely. I remember some of it. I don't remember deliberately taking advantage of your drunk state, and I can't imagine I would have in the first place. No offense or anything. I mean, for a man, you're definitely attractive…" Iruka's mouth snapped closed, his cheeks heating around his scar.

"But yeah, you're not attracted to men. I know. I mean, I didn't do any of that, either. I… You're attractive, for a man, but I don't, didn't, don't… yeah." Yamato sighed and gave up, his own cheeks bright red.

"Let's just, um, try to get rid of the headaches. I think in a little while the pain killer and water will do the trick and I can get out of your hair," Iruka said, closing his eyes.

"Okay."

 

Yamato tried to will his own headache away as Iruka closed his eyes. This had to be _the_ most bizarre morning after in his life. He didn't have a lot of them, but out of those he had, this definitely took the tops.

He remembered… He blushed. He remembered tasting most of Iruka the night before. Putting his mouth places Yamato would never have considered if he'd been sober. And he remembered enjoying it. And that was the most bizarre thing. He really _wasn't_ gay. He’d never touched a man before in his life except maybe to carry him because he was injured or to tie him up for interrogation or something.

He sighed and closed his eyes. He'd get rid of the headache and then put this behind him. Maybe… maybe he'd go ask Shizune out. Before he'd realized it was Iruka laying on him, he'd considered that. That would get rid of any lingering thoughts.

So decided, he fell asleep.

 

When he woke, Iruka was gone. He refused to recognize the minor disappointment with that. Instead he turned his attention to being grateful the headache was mostly gone. His stomach had settled and he thought he might be able to eat.

So saying, he ferreted out some leftovers in his refrigerator and went about warming them up. He drank more water, then some tea for the caffeine and by the time he'd gotten through all of that, he almost felt normal.

He showered and dressed and cleaned up his place. His clothes were still scattered from one end of the apartment to the other. As he was picking up his shirt, he found two of the buttons that had popped off Iruka's shirt the night before. He blushed when he picked them up and set them aside. Maybe if he could ever squash the embarrassment about the night before, he could give them back to Iruka.

He sighed. He still had no idea what had prompted him to do that. As he worked on his apartment, he remembered most of the night before. He'd gone to the bar rather than sit home alone that night. Everyone on the team had been busy and he'd been faced with sitting home reading or going to get a drink. He figured he could at _least_ watch other people get drunk, so he headed to the Krooked Kunai.

Iruka had been sitting at the end of the bar alone. They'd only ever said a few words to each other—usually when he'd stopped to talk to Naruto—but at least Iruka wasn't a complete stranger. And the bar _was_ busy, so Yamato took the open seat next to Iruka and got a drink.

It started out innocently enough. They talked about the team—mostly Naruto and Sakura, a bit about Kakashi and Sai, that was all. He'd discovered they read the same types of books, and they spent a good deal of time discussing those. After a few drinks, they both admitted to reading the _Icha Icha_ series, and that spawned another long talk about them, this time about the series and Jiraiya’s writing style.

Somewhere along the line, they both realized they'd over-imbibed. That was when they'd decided it would be a good idea to make sure the other got home safely. He _still_ couldn't figure out _how_ they were supposed to both do that, but that was a mystery he thought he'd probably just never solve.

When Iruka had stumbled in the bar and Yamato had put a hand out to steady him, Yamato had felt a funny jolt go through him. He had been unsteady too, so they decided it would be better if they held each other up. They'd put an arm around each other and carefully started walking home.

He remembered stopping at one point to cross the street and Iruka stumbled again. He'd caught Iruka and his face had ended up nearly buried in that amazing hair. The ponytail was falling out and for some reason, he'd pulled the tie out and let the hair fall.

Iruka had looked up at him and he swore—and would to his dying day—he didn't start it, but a moment later, they were kissing. They leaned against the wall they were near and both of them got lost in the kiss. That had been one of the hottest kisses Yamato had ever had in his life. He could admit that much. They'd only been about a block from his place by then.

When they broke apart, neither said anything. They'd just turned and continued walking. He remembered having been insanely aroused from one kiss, and it had shocked him. His arm had still been around Iruka, and they were still leaning into each other.

And it had felt good.

He shook his head at the memories. He'd gotten his door unlocked, and that was when the drunken logic had faltered. _He_ was home, but there was no way to then get Iruka home and make sure of it without him then having to walk home alone. So, he'd offered to let Iruka crash there.

But when they stepped through the door and kicked off their sandals, they'd bumped into each other again and this time it was Iruka that had steadied him when he'd almost fallen. And Iruka’s lips had been _right there_. Yamato could admit he'd started that kiss.

He blushed bright red, remembering the button-popping, shirt-tearing scene. They'd nipped and bit at each other all the way into the bedroom, and it was when they'd fallen, naked, into the bed that Iruka had first tasted him. He had no idea why it had felt so good to have that man's mouth on him, but even now, even sober, he had to admit it was the best blow job he'd ever had in his life.

He shook his head. He'd then, in his drunken logic state, told himself the least he could do was reciprocate. Even sober, he would admit it was the right thing to do, regardless of the gender of the person he was doing it for. That didn't explain the trail of bruises along Iruka's skin, though, or why he'd enjoyed doing that to Iruka so much. Or why he'd liked the taste of _Iruka_ so much.

Yamato stared at the book he'd picked up without realizing it and rolled his eyes. It was the _Icha Icha_ volume where one of the secondary characters discovered he was gay. He didn't even remember picking it up. He shoved it back onto his bookshelf and grabbed his vest. Fresh air, that was what he needed.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that I do not own Naruto, its spinoffs/sequels, the characters, the world, or anything to do with it. I am not writing this to make money and will not take money for it. I think that covers the disclaimer. ;)

The fresh air hadn’t helped. He’d walked through the streets of Konoha for quite a while before he gave up and found a quiet roof to sit on. He’d lain back, trying to empty his mind and just forget about it.

But a few hours later, after having very little success—and, in fact, replaying the memories instead—he gave up and went down to Ichiraku’s for something to eat. Kakashi was there, book in hand, bowl in front of him, so Yamato took the stool next to him.

“Hello,” Kakashi said from behind his book. Yamato glanced over and rolled his eyes. It was the very same one he’d almost read earlier.

“Hi.” He put in his order for ramen with Ayame and frowned at the counter.

“So, is it true?” Kakashi asked, lowering the book and turning to him.

Yamato swallowed. “Is what true?” he asked, afraid of the answer.

“Is it true you took Iruka home last night from the bar?”

Yamato swallowed again. “Yes.” He glanced up at Ayame when she brought his bowl over. “Thanks,” he said to her, returning a weak version of the smile she gave him. He pulled a pair of chopsticks out of the container on the counter, broke them apart, then pulled his bowl a little closer.

“I didn’t know you were—”

“I’m not.”

“But—” Kakashi blinked.

Yamato shrugged. “I have no idea. We’d been talking and both realized we were very drunk, so we were going to help each other home.” He shook his head again at the drunken logic. “We passed out shortly after ending up at my place.” He conveniently left out everything between walking in the door and falling asleep.

“Passed out?” Kakashi asked.

“Yes. We passed out.” Yamato focused on his ramen for a moment, hoping Kakashi would let it go.

“Mmm hmmm.” Kakashi went back to his own bowl, finishing up his noodles.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yamato asked, irritation more obvious than he would have liked.

“Nothing,” Kakashi said. “Nothing at all.” He turned his head, pulled his mask down, and drained his broth then asked, “and what happened in between getting there and passing out?”

“You really are a hentai,” Yamato grumbled, dodging the question.

“That’s not an answer.”

Yamato concentrated on his noodles and didn’t say anything at first.

“You’re kidding.” Kakashi was obviously hiding his amusement.

 “What?” Yamato’s head whipped around and he scowled.

“You didn’t.” Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

“Didn’t _what?”_

“You had sex.” Not a question, a statement that only irritated Yamato further.

“No!” Yamato said, too vehemently, his cheeks turning bright red.

Kakashi simply blinked at him, clearly fighting a grin.

Yamato looked around. When he was sure they were alone, he said, “I. Am. Not. Gay.”

The look Kakashi gave him unnerved him. Then, too casually, he asked, “Is there something wrong with being gay?”

“Of course not,” Yamato hurried to say. He stared at Kakashi for a moment, wondering if there was something to the question. But when Kakashi said nothing more, simply sipped his tea around his mask—Yamato still haven’t figure out how he managed that—Yamato sighed. “Yes. We did… something. I’ve never done it before and I’m never doing it again. I don’t know _why_ it happened. It doesn’t mean anything. There,” he said, turning back to his ramen.

Kakashi didn’t say anything more for a while, just watched Yamato eat. “You know, maybe you’re not. Have you considered that you’re bi instead?”

Yamato stared at him, then shook his head. “No.” But somehow that didn’t seem quite so bad. Women were still pretty, and he was still attracted to them. He swallowed. Maybe he _was_ attracted to Iruka.

Kakashi shrugged and let it go. When he pushed his bowl away, he turned back to Yamato and held his book out. “You know, this book has—”

“I know that. I read them.” Yamato finished his bowl and set it back. “It doesn’t apply. Because I’m not.”

Kakashi nodded, fighting amusement if the crinkle in the corner of his eye was anything to go by. “Right. Sorry, you did say that. Well, then, sorry it was an awful night.”

Yamato blushed. He wasn’t about to admit it was anything but awful, though he suspected his blush said too much. But he couldn’t admit it to Kakashi, since he still wasn’t ready to admit it to himself. He just nodded in acknowledgment. “Well, um, I think I’m going to go read or something. It’s been a bad day.”

Thankfully, it seemed Kakashi wasn’t going to push. “Okay. Listen, Naruto’s off with the toads, I’ve got a solo mission and Sakura’s at the hospital, so I don’t know when I’ll see you again. Take care.”

Yamato nodded. “Yeah, you too. Be careful.”

Kakashi waved and they went their separate ways. Yamato would have to check in at the mission office the next day for solo options, then. Though he did still have that demonstration at the school to do too. He sighed, shoving the thoughts of the night before—and Iruka—away. He had other things to worry about now. He could forget about it.

_Right_ , his inner-self said. _That’s why the buttons are in your pocket, right?_

_Shut up_ , he told himself and continued walking.

 

Iruka lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. After they’d talked and fallen asleep again, he’d awakened a short while later, smack up against Yamato. He’d spent a solid two minutes staring at the chest in front of him, trying to figure out why it felt _so fucking good_ in those arms.

When no answer had been forthcoming, he’d carefully moved out from them and gotten out of bed. Yamato had rolled onto his stomach, then, the blanket slipping down past his butt, and Iruka had found himself staring at it. Even clothed, it was sexy. Annoyed, he’d pulled the blanket back up. He told himself it was to keep Yamato warm, not to hide the body he couldn’t look away from, conveniently ignoring the fact that it was plenty warm in the room.

Then he’d slipped out of the bedroom. He’d gathered his shirt, a little shocked to discover three buttons missing. As he picked them up, the memory of it being nearly ripped off him the night before hit him. Before he could stop it, the images had come back in full Technicolor and to his _complete_ shock, he’d gotten aroused from it.

He’d found one button on the floor by the door, but he couldn’t look for the other ones without moving Yamato’s clothes around, and for reasons he refused to examine, he didn’t want to touch them. He settled for his one button, figuring he could just replace them, yanked the torn shirt on, grabbed his vest, stuffed his feet in his sandals, and made his escape.

Now he was home in bed, staring at his ceiling, trying to figure out how the night before had happened. Well, he knew how they’d gotten to Yamato’s place. _That_ wasn’t too much of a question. They’d gotten drunk at the bar, and wanted to help each other home. Okay, that was fine.

But the kiss on the street, that had been a surprise, especially since he’d initiated it. He couldn’t believe he’d done that. Yamato had pulled the tie out of his hair and been playing with it. It had felt _so good._ So when he looked up and Yamato’s face and lips were right there, he didn’t think, he just… closed the distance.

He lifted his head and banged it back against the pillow. He wasn’t gay. He wasn’t. He kept telling himself that, but he could admit that he was seriously attracted to Yamato. Or, at least, he thought Yamato was attractive. Yes, that was better, even if the wording change was bullshit. He simply ignored that little fact.

_So,_ Inner-Iruka said, _if you’re not gay, why did you enjoy—and start—the sex the night before?_

Iruka growled at himself. He didn’t, absolutely not! When they’d gotten into the house, Yamato had started that.

_And you blindly went along with it?_ Inner-Iruka asked him.

Iruka frowned. No, he hadn’t blindly gone along with it. He couldn’t even pretend that. After that first kiss, he’d given in and let himself enjoy it. And he’d been the one to open Yamato’s pants. Even if his own shirt had been the first one to come off.

He sighed. He didn’t like men! _You like Yamato._

_Shut up_ , Iruka told himself. He didn’t like men, in general. It was that simple. The night before with Yamato was an aberration, an… experiment. Yeah, that was it. The alcohol had just allowed him to give in to a little curiosity. He nodded. It didn’t mean anything; it was just a one-time thing. He wasn’t going to spend all his time thinking about it, or anything. It was over.

_Uh huh._

Iruka didn’t even dignify that with a response. In fact, maybe he’d ask that teacher out that had been smiling at him. What was her name? Maiko! That was it. She had long brown hair, a pretty smile, and she loved teaching. They’d get along, and that would help him forget about it.

So decided, Iruka sat up. He still had papers to grade and things to do for the day. He had the mission desk the next day and didn’t need to fall behind, letting his work suffer because he got drunk one night.

He simply ignored the internal snort he got at the decision.

 

 When Yamato stepped into the mission office, he almost turned around again. He could pretend to be sick or something, then he wouldn’t have to approach the desk. The temptation was strong, especially since Iruka was sitting there.

_Coward,_ his inner-self said.

He gritted his teeth, annoyed at himself. Sighing, he turned back around. Iruka was the only one available. Izumo and Genma were also on the desk, but both of them were busy. Yamato swallowed his ridiculous nervousness and stepped up.

“Hi, um, I-Iruka-s-san.” Yamato’s cheeks heated at the stutter.

Iruka looked up at him, his cheeks coloring, as well. “Yamato-s-san.”

Yamato just stared for a moment. One of the marks he’d left on Iruka was above his collar. Ugh, that had to be embarrassing. “S-sorry,” he said, then nearly growled at himself again. When Iruka gave him a puzzled look, he reached up and scratched at his own neck in the same spot.

“Oh! Oh. Um, it’s… okay.” The color around Iruka’s scar was getting much worse by the moment. Yamato refused to admit he thought it was cute. They didn’t say anything for a moment, the silence growing to monstrous proportions. “Did…you need something?” Iruka asked him.

“Um, sorry. I’m, um, checking in. Solo. The rest of the team is out,” Yamato finally got out.

“Oh, right.” Iruka looked down at the book in front of him, then frowned. “I’m afraid there’s not much going on right now. Not for the jounin, anyway.” He looked back up. “We have a shortage of missions at the moment. With the rebuilding, that and the escort missions for the materials are all we really have and all of those are going to the chuunin and the genin teams.”

“Ah, yeah.” Yamato managed a smile. “They can be paid less and get experience.” Yamato shrugged. “Well, um, write me in as available, I guess.”

“Okay. Are… are you okay?” Iruka bit his lip.

Yamato blinked at him in confusion, then nodded as understanding dawned. “Yeah, I managed to get rid of my headache yesterday afternoon. Um, you?”

Iruka nodded again. “Yeah. About the same time. Well, um, take… care.”

“Yeah, you too,” Yamato said, then set something down and made his escape.

 

 Iruka stared at the object a moment before snatching it up off the desk. He stuffed the button into his pocket, hoping no one had seen it. When he glanced around, though, it looked like they hadn’t. Genma and Izumo were both still busy.

He glanced back down. There was only one button. What had happened to the other one? He shook his head. Maybe he didn’t want to know.

 

 On his way back home, Yamato passed the tea house he liked to stop at and decided he needed something to calm himself down. When he stepped inside, there at one of the tables sat none other than Shizune. As he walked up to her, he was puzzled by the fact that his nervousness was not nearly as bad as he would have expected, since he was usually a complete wreck around women.

Then again, maybe his nerves were just so shot, nothing could get him worked up after that scene in the mission office. It had certainly messed with him. He took a deep breath. “Hello.”

She looked up at him and smiled. “Hello, Te... err Yamato-san. How are you?”

“Fine. I was wondering, would you like to go out with me? For dinner?” Yamato smiled.

Shizune blinked at him in surprise. “Uh, sure. When?”

He paused to think. “What about tomorrow evening? I don’t have any missions right now.”

She nodded and smiled up at him, and he decided she really was pretty, with that soft brown hair and dark eyes. He refused to think about another head of soft brown hair. “Okay, that sounds good.”

Yamato hesitated. “Um, where should I…?”

“Oh.” She gave him the name of her apartment building. “3G. Um, seven?”

He nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you then.” He paused for a minute, thinking there was something he was forgetting before waving and heading out. It wasn’t until he was half way home that he remembered he was going to get tea.

Yamato had to get a grip. He had things to do. He’d promised to do that demonstration for the teacher the next day and he wanted to think through the things he could do for the kids. Laundry was waiting at home and the bare refrigerator demanded he go grocery shopping. He shook his head at himself. One weird thing was no reason to get this worked up.

He wasn’t gay, he was sure of it. And while he’d been honest with Kakashi in his opinion that there was nothing wrong with that, it wasn’t him. The word simply didn’t feel right. He’d never been turned on by another man before. Never been even remotely attracted to one.

_Are you sure?_ his inner-self asked. _What about your sempai?_

He frowned. He had to admit, he’d caught Kakashi looking at him a few times and he couldn’t have mistaken the look in the one visible eye. And Yamato had caught _himself_ looking at _Kakashi_ a couple of times. And then there was that time that he’d seriously wondered what Kakashi would look like without clothes. That didn’t make him gay, though.

_There’s a whole range between gay and straight, you know._

He sighed. That much was true. Maybe he was, as Kakashi suggested, bi. And he couldn’t lie to himself completely. That jolt, that touch had gone through him when he’d touched Iruka. He frowned. It didn’t mean anything, though.

_Then why do you still have one of the buttons in your pocket?_

He ignored his inner-self.

Mostly because he didn’t have an answer.

 

 Relief filled Iruka when the school week started. When school was in session, he didn’t have time to think too much. Granted, it didn’t fill _all_ of his hours, but maybe it would distract him enough that he could just put the mess with Yamato away for good.

When he got to his classroom, it was still early, so he dropped his bag and headed for the teacher’s lounge. Maiko was in there, mixing up her tea for the morning. “Hello, Iruka-sempai.”

“Maiko-kohai, how are you?” He smiled, reaching for a cup.

“Not too bad. I had a busy weekend. How was yours?” She turned, then leaned against the counter, watching him.

He swallowed and forced his thoughts away from Friday night. “Not bad. I had the mission desk yesterday, so it was kind of short, but I don’t mind.” He focused on fixing his tea, then turned to her. “Hey, I was wondering, would you like to go to dinner with me sometime?” Wow, that wasn’t as hard as it usually was. He started to wonder about that, but just pushed it aside.

She looked surprised. “Oh! Um, sure. I… when?”

Iruka frowned. He had the mission desk yet most of the week after school, then gate duty over the weekend. “Hm. Damn, I’ve got to be in the mission office most of the week. After tonight, I won’t have anything reasonably open until next week. I’m sorry, I should have thought of that before I asked...”

“Well, how about tonight, then? Are you busy?” she asked, blushing.

He blinked, taken aback at the suggestion. “No, I just didn’t want to assume… As soon as it is and all…”

She shook her head. “That’s fine. Tonight, then.”

He nodded. “Okay, well, um, seven?”

She smiled. “Alright.” She sighed. “Well, I have to go, I’ve got someone coming today to demonstrate for the kids,” she said as they left the lounge.

“Oh? Who?” Iruka asked, sipping at his tea as they walked back toward their classrooms.

“Maiko-san. Am I too early?”

Iruka nearly spilled his tea. He’d been looking over at Maiko and so hadn’t noticed the person coming down the hall. He would never—could never—forget that voice. _Yes, Iruka that’s so good!_ Damn. “Yamato-san!” The heat in his face could have boiled his tea.

“Iruka-san. Um, hi.” Yamato’s blush was almost as bad as Iruka’s felt.

Maiko watched the exchange with raised eyebrows. “Do you two know each other?”

“Uh, yeah, Yamato-san is Naruto’s teammate. We’ve, um, talked a few times when I saw Naruto.” It took all Iruka had to not stutter over that.

“Ah,” Maiko said, looking unconvinced. She turned to Yamato. “You’re not too early at all. Let’s go in.”

He nodded. “Okay.” He looked over at Iruka, who was stuck staring at the bruise on Yamato’s neck that was just visible at the edge of the collar. The bruise _he’d_ put there on Friday night. How had he managed to put one that high? “Have a good day, Iruka-san.”

“Hm? Oh, yes. You too.” He waved and hurried to his own classroom, then shut the door a little too forcefully and stood against it, trying to get his brain to settle down. Of all the places to run into the man! The academy was the very last place Iruka would have expected to see Yamato. Dammit!

That bruise had brought Friday night back, _again_ and the memory of how that skin tasted forced him to adjust himself. He didn’t understand this. He was absolutely _not_ gay.

_No one said you are. Have you ever considered you’re both?_ Iruka blinked at that. He’d never before been attracted to a man, not that he could remember. But he’d never experienced the things he had when Yamato had touched him, either.

He couldn’t discount that. The charge that went through him when Yamato had steadied him in the bar had been… incredible. Something he couldn’t forget because it had only gotten worse when he’d kissed Yamato in the street. And that something had exploded completely when they’d managed to close the door, kick their sandals off, and get their arms around each other.

He banged his head against the door. Well, hell, what did he do with this? _Was_ he, well, bi? Did he go both ways? He thought of the other men he knew—Kakashi, for instance or Gai… eww, no, definitely not Gai. He guessed Kakashi was attractive enough, but Iruka had never noticed any attraction. Yamato was the only one that had ever drawn his attention.

Iruka had to face the fact that he was attracted to Yamato. That didn’t mean he was gay, maybe not even really bi, but definitely attracted to _him._ Iruka sighed. It didn’t matter, even if he was attracted to Yamato, _he_ most certainly didn’t go that way. So the attraction wouldn’t be returned. He needed to let it go. In the meantime, he still had a date with a very pretty woman. And he _was_ attracted to her.

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Naruto, it's sequels, world, or characters. Only thing I came up with are a couple of places and the storyline. :)
> 
> More coming. I have a few more chapters already written. They just need to be edited. Badly. >.> But they're coming!

Even though Iruka loved ramen, he wasn’t about to take a date to Ichiraku’s, at least the first time.  He wasn’t Naruto, after all. He’d decided on the barbecue restaurant instead, since it was a step up without emptying his wallet. As they approached the door, Maiko gave him a big smile. “I love this place.”

He returned her smile. “Well then, I’m glad I picked it.” He opened the door for her and they stepped into the restaurant.

It shouldn’t have surprised him how busy the place was, considering how many teams were home, but he was a bit surprised. From what Iruka could see, most of the tables were occupied. Noise filled the restaurant and Iruka found himself wondering if they’d even get a seat. The hostess took the group in front of them to a table and Iruka tried to decide what to do. While they were waiting for the hostess to come back, the door opened behind them.

As the newcomers approached, Iruka recognized the chakra signature, couldn’t  _ not _ , in part because it was being suppressed—a side effect of being ANBU.  He closed his eyes and nearly laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. Before Friday night, they’d almost never seen each other.  And now, in the space of two days, almost everywhere he’d been, Yamato had been too.

The hostess came back then, an older lady Iruka recognized as the parent of a former student but he was too messed up to try to talk to her about it.  “Hello,” she greeted them with a smile. “How many?” Her eyes darted to the people behind them.

“Just the two of us,” Iruka said.

She frowned down at her pad of paper. “Well, it’ll be quite a wait for a table for two.”

Iruka turned to Maiko to ask if she wanted to go somewhere else—even Ichiraku’s at this point would be better—when he was interrupted.

“Maiko-chan?” Iruka looked behind them to see Shizune with Yamato. 

“Shizune-chan! Hi! Don’t tell me Lady Tsunade let you actually go do something?” The two women hugged.

“It didn’t take much. I offered her a bottle of sake.” Shizune laughed.

Iruka and Yamato stared at each other. Iruka had had to wear his only high collared sweater to cover his neck which  _ still _ had bruises from Friday night.  Yamato was wearing a deep blue button-down shirt in a soft fabric that made Iruka’s hand itch to run over it, closed all the way except the top button.  A couple of the hickeys Iruka left on him were still visible if you knew where to look. Iruka swallowed and tore his gaze away because he  _ did _ know where to look. Annoyingly, Yamato looked great and Iruka gave a mental eye roll at himself for even noticing. Iruka took a deep breath, closing his eyes.  _ This just isn’t happening. I can’t be this unlucky _ . He opened his eyes again and nodded. “Yamato-san.”

“Iruka-san,” Yamato replied, returning the curt nod.

“Excuse me,” the hostess called, drawing their attention. “If you’d be willing to share a table, we have one available?”

It was on the tip of Iruka’s tongue to refuse. Sharing a table with Yamato was a disaster waiting to happen.  “Oh, that would be fine with me,” Maiko said for them.

“Works for me,” Shizune turned with an expectant look at Yamato.

Yamato and Iruka looked at each other a moment before Iruka shrugged. What could they say without giving it all away?  “Okay.”

The hostess led them to a booth for four, Yamato and Iruka against the wall, their dates next to them. “When did you and Yamato-san start going out?” Maiko asked as the settled.

“Oh, he just asked me yesterday,” Shizune said, grinning.  Yamato closed his eyes and a blush spread up his cheeks. “What about you? How long have you been dating?”

“Oh, this is our first date. He asked me this morning,” Maiko said, smiling.

It was Iruka’s turn to blush.  Could it  _ be  _ any more obvious, at least to Yamato? Iruka didn’t know if Maiko had caught the tension between him and Yamato, but he hoped even if she did, she wouldn’t know why. Praying to every deity in existence she didn’t figure it out, Iruka simply tried to smile. He was pretty sure it fell flat.

The waitress came out then for their drink orders and he had a chance to calm down a little.  After she left, he shifted in his seat, his foot coming into contact with Yamato’s. He didn’t growl, but he wanted to.  Iruka pulled his foot back and based on the way Yamato moved, he suspected Yamato did the same. He wondered at that. Was Yamato as affected by that night as he was?

It didn’t matter. Iruka reminded himself he was on a date with a pretty woman. he tried to tune in to the conversation between the two women, but his mind could not get off the man across the table from him. Yamato seemed to be looking anywhere but at him. Iruka told himself he was grateful for it.

_ No you’re not. _

_ Shut up _ . Iruka did  _ not  _ need help from his inner self.

“Excuse me a moment, Iruka-sempai. I’ll be right back,” Maiko said, pulling him back to the table. 

“Oh, um, okay.” He blinked when Shizune got up at the same time and he glanced at Yamato, who gave a minute shrug. When they were gone, Iruka looked back at Yamato who was finally looking at him. “Why do they always go together?”

“To talk about us. It’s the only thing I can come up with,” Yamato answered, smiling gratefully at the waitress as she set their drinks down. “Um, just bring me a second one, please.”

“Me, too,” Iruka said, downing half his sake in one drink.  The waitress gave them both amused looks, then bowed and left.

“To talk about us.” Iruka nodded. “Great.”

“Yeah.” Yamato drank more of his sake.

The women kept up a steady stream of chatter through the dinner, which was just fine by Yamato, and he suspected Iruka appreciated it too.  Yamato had no clue what to say, anyway, especially in front of the other two. So he’d concentrated on eating and trying to listen to the conversation.  Which basically amounted to trying to ignore Iruka.

The sweater Iruka wore was in a sky blue with a high collar undoubtedly to cover the marks that were still on his neck.  If Yamato’s hadn’t gone away yet, he had no doubt Iruka still had his as well. The sweater fit him snugly like his pants did and it had annoyed Yamato to no end that he’d found himself noticing how well they clung and how nice Iruka’s ass looked in them.  The real kicker, though, was that his hair was down.

Yamato had dug his fingernails into his palm when he’d first seen it.  He’d had the worst urge to reach up and touch it, to run his fingers through it.  He remembered what he’d thought about it before he’d known it was on a man. And somehow, even knowing it was on Iruka—a  _ man _ —hadn’t changed his want to bury his face in it, or run his fingers through it, or pull on it during—.

He shifted in his seat, pulling his thoughts away from  _ those _ images fast. If he didn’t stop thinking along those lines, it was going to be difficult to get up.  And since Shizune would be well aware of the fact he hadn’t touched her since they sat down, there’d be no reason for him to be having problems from her. That would mean either he was fantasizing and not paying attention—which he was, just not about her—or he was touching someone else, which he—obviously to her—wasn’t, even if he was fighting the want to.

This date had turned into a disaster.  He may as well have just asked Iruka out. It would probably have been less tense than what was happening with them.  His attention was finally drawn into the conversation when Shizune touched his arm.

“Yamato? Would that be okay?”

Shit. He had no idea.  He swallowed hard, but had no idea what he was about to agree to. “Sure, that’s fine.” What was?

“Good! I haven’t been dancing in a long time,” Shizune said and Yamato was fairly certain it was entirely for his benefit.  He let out a breath of relief. Dancing wasn’t too bad; he could handle that. 

He forced his attention back to the table so he didn’t miss anything else.  He heard Maiko say something quietly to Iruka, who nodded. “Sure, that’s fine,” he said, sounding as panicked as Yamato had felt a moment ago,  and Yamato choked on his sake a little. Iruka’s mind had obviously not been on the conversation either. Yamato wasn’t sure if that comforted him or not to know Iruka might be as worked up over everything as he was.

“It’s settled, then. We’ll go together.” Shizune and Maiko turned to their dates with twin grins and it was the first indication Yamato had that something more was going on here.  Without a better idea of what to do, though, he finished the last of his food and smiled a little too gratefully when the waitress brought the checks. 

The ladies once more wanted to stop in the restroom before they left. Iruka turned to him when they’d gone in. “What did we agree to?”

Yamato swallowed, caught between amusement and pity. “We’re going dancing, but I have no idea  _ where _ .”

“Oh.  Um, okay, that’s not too bad.” Iruka frowned. “How many places are there to go dancing in Konoha? I mean, since the rebuilding?”

Yamato shrugged. “As far as I know, the dance floor Aio put in at the Krooked Kunai is the only one most ninja go to.  I don’t know of any others. I don’t usually go out much.” His mouth snapped closed when he realized how much that said.

“Huh.” Iruka didn’t seem to realize that, though, to Yamato’s relief and turned as the two women came back out.

Maiko took Iruka’s arm and Shizune took Yamato’s.  Iruka opened the door for Maiko and Yamato blinked at the weird thought that hit him when he saw them hold hands.  He didn’t like it.

He shook his head at himself, held the door for Shizune, then took her hand, as well when they were through. Annoyingly, he felt nothing when he held her hand.  He sighed. “I owe you an apology.”

“Hmm?” Shizune asked, looking up at him.

“I didn’t hear everything you said when I agreed to go dancing.” He frowned. “I’m sorry.”

She smiled. “I had a feeling. Maiko and I suggested we just go to the Krooked Kunai for a while. They have a dance floor now and we could still talk.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “I really am sorry, I hadn’t meant to ignore you.”

Shizune chuckled. “It’s quite alright.”

When they stepped into the bar a short while later, Yamato wasn’t surprised to discover it was fairly crowded, just like the restaurant. It made sense with the low number of regular missions running at the moment. 

Annoyingly, Yamato had been contacted not long before his date. Two of his fellow ANBU had delivered the message from Ibiki with orders for the next morning. So, he couldn’t drink much tonight. The sake at the restaurant and the one more he’d have at the bar was enough.

He pushed that aside, not wanting to think about it yet. He’d get into his ANBU mindset and get ready for the mission in the morning.  He turned his attention back to the bar. Spotting a table toward the back, he leaned in to Shizune. “Over there,” he pointed, “that okay?”

She nodded and they threaded their way through the closely packed tables to one near the dance floor and off to the side.  Kakashi sat at the table next to them with empty seats on either side of him, obviously having recently been vacated. He waved at Kakashi who waved back and raised his eyebrow, sending a pointed look at Shizune.

Yamato lifted their clasped hands a little and Kakashi’s only response was to shake his head.  His eye darted behind them to, Yamato figured, Iruka, who was following them with Maiko. He looked back at Yamato and by the look in the visible eye, Yamato had no doubt there was a smirk under the mask.

Yamato held Shizune’s chair, as Iruka did for Maiko, and Yamato turned to her. “What can I get you?”

“Lime chuhai, please,” she said and turned to Maiko, who had taken the seat next to her. It wasn’t lost on Yamato that it meant he’d be sitting next to Iruka.

Iruka leaned down to Maiko, likely to ask for her drink and both guys stepped up to the bar. Yamato glanced over at Iruka and forced a smile. The whole situation was ridiculous and Yamato wanted to diffuse it, at least a little. “I’ll get the first round.”

Surprise filled Iruka’s face. “Um, okay. Thank you. Sake for me and lime chuhai for Maiko.”

Yamato chuckled.  At Iruka’s raised eyebrow, he held up a finger and turned to Aio. “Two sake’s and two lime chuhai.” 

Iruka chuckled.

With a nod, Yamato glanced around, then stopped and stared at Kakashi. 

“What?” Iruka asked and followed Yamato’s gaze.

The two who’d been with Kakashi had come back. Genma sat on one side and Raidou on the other. And  _ both _ were currently kissing Kakashi’s cheeks.  Iruka’s mouth fell open. He leaned over to Yamato. “Did you know…?”

Yamato shook his head. “No clue. I mean, I suspected he at least went both ways, but never with them. Either of them, much less both. I mean, I don’t know why, except I didn’t know  he knew them more than in passing.” He glanced at Iruka, who looked at him at the same time. They blinked and looked back at Kakashi. He’d put his arms around the other two and Yamato couldn’t miss the happy crease at the corner of his eye.

They turned back to face the bar. “Now, I’ve seen everything,” Iruka muttered in a stunned voice.

“No. Doubt.” Yamato blinked.  “No wonder he reacted the way he had.”

“What’s that?” Iruka asked.

“Um…” he blushed. “He saw us leave Friday night.”

“Oh.” Iruka’s cheeks darkened. “Did he ask you about it?”

Yamato nodded. “And, um, he guessed that something happened. I didn’t tell him what. I… wouldn’t. Um, tell him, I mean.”

Iruka nodded, giving a small smile at that. “Thank you. I… Thanks. So, do you remember, then? What…” he gulped. “What we did?”

Yamato nodded again. “Yeah, well, most of it, anyway.  Do… you?”

“Yeah…”

They stared at each other, unable to look away until Aio said something. “Hey, guys?”

Yamato blinked and turned back to the bartender. “Oh, sorry.” He put the money on the bar and picked up his sake and Shizune’s drink. Iruka took his and Maiko’s and they went back to the table. 

They sat back down with the two women, but it had gotten  _ much _ more uncomfortable all of a sudden, at least for Yamato, but he suspected it was as much for Iruka too. It might not have been so bad if talking about that night with Iruka hadn’t brought all those mental images back.

The ladies were talking about Maiko’s students and Yamato and Iruka were able to tune in for a bit.  Yamato couldn’t help but smile at the way Iruka talked about his own kids. And the way he talked, you’d think he  _ was _ talking about his own children, not his students. 

“So, Yamato, what are you up to without missions?” Shizune asked him, catching him by surprise.

“Oh, I actually have one in the morning.”

Iruka glanced over at him and he reached up and pretended to scratch at his left shoulder. Yamato had turned in more than a few ANBU mission reports to him over the years, so Yamato could tell him. Iruka gave a minute nod.

“I thought they didn’t have many right now,” Shizune said, looking confused.

“Oh, um, there were some that came in late yesterday.” Iruka said, rescuing Yamato, their eyes meeting. 

“Oh. I didn’t hear about them, but then again I can’t keep up with all of them. I’m usually too busy just trying to get Tsunade to keep up with all the paperwork.”  She smiled wryly. “Izumo and Kotetsu try, but they can only do so much. They  _ did _ manage the other day though to get her to do some.” She laughed, shaking her head. When Yamato and Iruka raised their eyebrows, she nodded. “Apparently, they’d threatened to strip and have sex  _ on  _ her desk. I’ve never seen her work so hard after that.”

That brought laughter from all four of them. Before anyone could say more, the music turned up then. Amusement filled Yamato as Kakashi got up and dragged his two companions onto the dance floor.  Yamato wondered just how much Kakashi had to drink. He shook his head and looked over at Shizune. “Care to dance?”

The two couples made their way onto the dance floor and in no time, it was ridiculously crowded.  The other dancers pushed him much closer to Shizune than he might have liked, considering it was a first date, but that wasn’t what started to get uncomfortable. 

Iruka and Maiko were right next to them.  And try as Yamato might, he couldn’t ignore the way Iruka was moving.  He could dance well, and Yamato was having a hard time concentrating on his own partner, rather than Iruka’s moves.

He forced himself to turn so that he couldn’t see Iruka dancing and shifted his attention to Shizune again.  Except when he did, he realized that she and Maiko were dancing together. He raised an eyebrow and glanced to the side. Iruka had noticed it himself.

Yamato and Iruka’s gazes met and they both shrugged, then moved closer to the women, trying  _ not _ to actually dance  _ with each other.  _ But every time they got closer to Shizune and Maiko, the women moved in a way that put Yamato and Iruka back together.  Until at one point, they  _ were _ pretty much dancing with each other. It didn’t take a Nara genius to figure out what was going on.

It was deliberate.  Iruka had figured out that something wasn’t right by the second time the women moved away from them.  He didn’t think it was accidental in the slightest. He and Yamato had been trying  _ very  _ hard to ignore each other, but it was pretty much impossible.

He was very, very close, and Iruka was vividly reminded of the way Yamato felt against him the other night.  So when they bumped into each other on the crowded dance floor, it only got worse. After the third time the women moved away, he had no doubt they were pushing him and Yamato together. He glanced into the dark eyes and gave up, moving a little closer.  Yamato moved in too, their bodies touching and Iruka stifled a moan.

It was ridiculous. His heart was pounding, pulse racing and his breathing damned near impossible to control.  And not from the dancing itself. No, Iruka couldn’t even pretend that. It was purely from Yamato’s proximity. All Iruka could think about was touching the defined form in front of him.  He swallowed hard, then tentatively put his hand on Yamato’s hip.

Yamato pulled him closer then, so that they  _ were _ touching.  Their eyes never leaving each other, they moved to the music, bodies insanely close.  Iruka couldn’t miss the arousal that was straining against his own and he was still struggling with the fact that Yamato—this  _ man— _ turned him on so.

When the music shifted and slowed, it seemed to break whatever spell had caught them both up. They stepped back from each other, and Iruka was gratified to see that Yamato seemed to be having the same trouble he was.  He finally managed to turn around to leave and he saw Kakashi on the floor with Genma on one side of him and Raidou on the other. He got Yamato’s attention and pointed.

Yamato’s mouth dropped open.  All three of them were tight up against each other. “Geez, get a room,” Yamato said in Iruka’s ear. “They’re practically fucking right there.”

Iruka laughed. “I know, right?” Iruka shook his head and glanced back at Yamato.   _ Way too close _ .  They were closer than when they’d danced, barely a couple of centimeters away.  He swallowed hard and turned to look for Maiko to keep from doing something he’d regret—like kissing Yamato. Except Maiko wasn’t there.  Iruka blinked, looking around, but Shizune was also gone. “Um, they’re not here.”

Yamato looked around too. “Did we… get abandoned?”

“I have no idea.” Iruka shook his head.

They made their way off of the dance floor to the table, but the women weren’t there. They weren’t at the bar either. So the guys sat. “Maybe they just went to the bathroom….” Iruka suggested. Yamato shrugged, but he didn’t look like he believed it any more than Iruka did.

But by the time the song changed not once, but twice, they had to admit the ladies weren’t coming back.

“Well, we’ve been abandoned,” Yamato said.

Iruka frowned. “Do you think they know about what happened between us? I mean, before out there.” He motioned to the dance floor. He caught a glimpse of Kakashi and Raidou making out on the dance floor and he looked away.

“I don’t know how they could have. I mean, the news that we left together went around, but that was it.” Yamato frowned. “I’m… sorry if I messed up your date.”

Iruka shook his head. “No, it’s not you. If anyone did, I did. I certainly didn’t pay attention to her very much.”  He swallowed and looked over at Yamato. “I’m sorry about Shizune—”

Yamato shook his head, too. “Nope, that was on me.” He sighed. “I probably shouldn’t have asked her, anyway.” He frowned.

Iruka raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Yamato stared at him a moment, considering him, then swallowed. “You.”

Whatever Iruka had expected, it wasn’t that, despite the dancing they’d done. His mouth fell open, so stunned it took him a moment to speak. “Me?”

“Have you been able to forget it?” Yamato asked. 

Iruka swallowed, then shook his head. “No.” He glanced back up, his face heating. “I… don’t know what it was, exactly. Or, um, is, but…”

“Yeah, me either.” He glanced at his watch. “Crap. I have to go. We’re leaving very early.”

Iruka nodded. “Do—” He shut his mouth so fast, his teeth snapped. He wasn’t going to ask this.  Even if he was attracted to Yamato and couldn’t forget that night, he wasn’t going to do it.

“Are you staying?” Yamato asked.

Iruka shook his head. “No. I don’t usually go out much on school nights, anyway.”

Yamato took a deep breath. “Can I walk you home?”

_ Well. There’s no mistaking that. _  Iruka stood. “Um, yeah. Okay.”

They didn’t touch as they walked out of the bar and turned down the street.  Neither said anything at first, both of them with their hands stuffed into their pockets and bright blushes on their faces. “So, do you know how long you’ll be gone?” Iruka finally asked.

Yamato shook his head. “I don’t think it’s supposed to be a long mission, but, well, you know.”

“Yeah, anything could happen.” Iruka sighed. He didn’t want to think about something happening, so he asked instead, “what on earth was up with Kakashi?”

“I have no idea. None. I didn’t have a clue that he was even involved with them.” Yamato shook his head.

“Yeah, and  _ them _ ? I mean, two at the same time? It’s one thing to for that to happen, you know, once, but he was basically claiming them for every ninja to see.” Iruka glanced over at Yamato.

“I know. I couldn’t believe it. He’d been drinking, I could tell that, so maybe he just drank too much.” He shrugged. “I guess it’s his business.”

“Yeah.” Iruka fell into silence as they walked, then stopped in front of his building. “This is it.”

“Okay, well, um.” Yamato paused and looked over Iruka for a long moment, then said quietly, “Go out with me.”

“What?” Iruka couldn’t have been more stunned if Yamato had just sent a Mokuton branch through him.

“Dinner or… something. When I get back.”

“Like... a date?” Iruka asked, still not sure his brain was translating Yamato’s words properly.

“Yeah, a date.” Yamato blushed.

Iruka swallowed. Good grief, he’d just danced very intimately in public with the man. Why not dinner?

_ Because you know it won’t just be dinner!  _ his inner-self helpfully put in. He ignored it, not willing to imagine that right in that moment. He was messed up enough without bringing those memories back out. “Okay. Yeah.”

Yamato smiled.  “Okay.” They stood uncomfortably for a moment, then Yamato took that half step closer.  “I’ll… let you know when I’m back.”

“Okay.” He was too close again.  _ Way _ too close.  “Be… be careful.”

Yamato nodded. “I will.” 

Iruka couldn’t seem to breathe. Yamato was too close.  That was all he could seem to think. Just like they were back on the dance floor, maybe two or three centimeters apart, that was it.   _ He smells so good _ .  Yamato smelled of the forest, and Iruka closed his eyes without even meaning to and inhaled. 

Yamato put a hand on his hair and Iruka opened his eyes.  “Soft. I thought it was,” Yamato whispered, then leaned in.  Iruka closed his eyes again when Yamato buried his face in Iruka’s hair. Iruka whimpered at just how fucking good that felt, his arousal getting horribly worse in that instant.

Should he ask Yamato to come up?  He couldn’t believe he was thinking that. No! No. Their—Iruka flailed mentally—date was soon enough.  He swallowed hard, and fought to catch his breath.

He turned his head, intending to say something, anything, and Yamato’s mouth was closer than he thought.  Their lips touched, just barely and that jolt hit him again.

It wasn’t even a  _ deep _ kiss. Yamato’s lips moved over his softly, gently, brushing lightly back and forth before Yamato put a bit more behind it.  Iruka reached up and put his hand on Yamato’s shoulder to steady himself. As he did, Yamato wrapped both arms around him, pulled him closer, and the lips on his opened.

Yamato’s tongue touched his bottom lip tentatively and he opened his own mouth.  His breath disappeared completely when Yamato’s tongue touched his. Yet again, the memory of the other night crept up, but this was completely different. There was no alcohol spurring them on this time.

No, this was pure desire on both their parts.  Yamato wouldn’t do this unless he wanted to. Iruka may not have known everything about him, but  _ that  _ Iruka was sure of. He met the tongue with his own, sliding it along the side and the taste of sake and barbecue was underlined with something rich.  He couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but he’d never tasted anything like it before.

_ Iruka can kiss! _  The feel of those lips,  _ this _ body against him, made Yamato want to practically drag Iruka upstairs.  He had no idea what to do at that point, since he had very little experience when it came to sex with a man—and all of it through a drunken haze—but he didn’t care. He figured they would come up with something.

But Iruka’s mouth moving over his, the tongue against his, tasting, teasing him was making him crazy.  He tightened his arms, forcing Iruka’s hard cock to rub against his own, and the moan he’d been holding back escaped.  He couldn’t believe how good this all felt,  _ this man _ felt.

They broke apart briefly and he looked into Iruka’s eyes.  Iruka’s face was flushed, lips kiss-swollen from  _ his _ kisses. Yamato lifted one hand and ran his fingers over that beautiful hair again.  He savored the softness as the strands slid along his palm. He let it fall, then met Iruka’s eyes again.

He could stand there all night like that with Iruka in his arms, their bodies close. Well, that wasn’t  _ entirely  _ true.  At some point, he’d give in and drag Iruka into his apartment and do something with him, even if Yamato wasn’t sure what it was at that moment.  He cleared his throat to derail that line of thought before he acted on it. It was true they’d already been together, but that had been while drunk and even if Iruka was a man, Yamato wanted to do things right and at  _ least _ take Iruka to dinner before they did anything again. “I… have to go.”

Iruka nodded, his eyes leaving Yamato’s. “Yeah, I do too,” he replied, but neither of them moved. He took a breath, then whispered, “Kiss me again. Once more, before you go.”

How could he turn that down?  Yamato couldn’t even pretend he could, wouldn’t pretend he wanted to. He closed those few centimeters one more time and captured Iruka’s lips with his own.  Iruka’s tongue slid along his again and the flavors he’d experienced a moment ago exploded again. He couldn’t begin to name them all, but beyond the sake and dinner, there was a something he knew was distinctly Iruka and he was beginning to wonder if he could ever get enough of it.

They broke apart a moment later and Yamato forced himself to take a step back.  It took a lot of effort to do it, but he managed. “I’ll let you know as soon as I can that I’m back.”

“Please.” Iruka swallowed. “Be careful. And… come back, okay?”

Yamato nodded, his heart thudding at the note of fear in Iruka’s voice. He brushed a thumb over one cheek, choosing his words carefully. He couldn’t absolutely promise that, he couldn’t even promise there’d be a body to bury and Iruka would know both quite well.  “I will do everything I possibly can to come back.”

After one more long look, Iruka turned toward his building. At the front door, he paused and turned back. They stared at each other another moment, then Yamato waved and he waved in return.  When Iruka stepped into the building, Yamato turned toward home. This was going to be the longest mission of his life. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Standard disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it's sequels, world, or characters. Only thing I came up with are a couple of places and the storyline. I make no money off this story and have no wish to.

He’d been gone a week. They’d spent a full week hunting down a missing nin before finally finding him. It had taken every bit of his skill as a ninja to take the damned rogue out. He and his two teammates had managed to get out of it without  _ too _ much injury, but he’d gotten banged up in the melee. To add insult to injury, he’d lost his mask during the fight too.

He had more than a few bruised ribs for his trouble, and that annoyed him more than anything. Because when he’d gotten back to Konoha, instead of looking for a particular teacher like he wanted to, he had to go to the hospital. He’d finally gotten a nurse to agree to pass a message to Iruka after she’d forced him into the hospital bed.

While he had the bandages around his chest hid the worst of the black and blue marks, a few very ugly bruises were too prominent on his face. So he was not exactly in the best mood or looking his best when the knock came a short while later.

“Come in!” he called, simultaneously hoping it was Iruka and hoping it wasn’t.

With Iruka the only one on his mind, it was with surprise that he greeted Kakashi when he came in. “Sempai!”

“Yo!” Kakashi gave his negligent wave. “I heard you and a tree didn’t get along.”

Yamato snorted. “Hardly. More like the back end of a lightning bolt.”

“Ah. Yeah, they don’t like wood, do they?” Kakashi asked.

Yamato shook his head. “No, no, they don’t. What are you doing here?”

“What? I can’t visit a teammate in the hospital?” Kakashi asked, eye wide in obviously fake innocence.

“It is a well-known fact that you hate hospitals.” Yamato raised an eyebrow. “What do you want?”

“I was just worried about you.”

“Bullshit.” Yamato laughed, then groaned, holding his bruised ribs. “Ouch. That sucks.”

“You going to be okay?” Kakashi asked, fake innocence dropping, and real concern taking its place.

“Yeah, just a few bruised ribs. Nothing to worry about.” He leaned back on the bed and considered his friend. “Yes.”

“Yes? Yes what?” Kakashi’s visible eyebrow went up.

“Yes, I left the bar with him that night.” Yamato sighed. “No, we didn’t do anything, I left him at his door. But yes, we’re going out. When I can get out of here.”

“I didn’t ask anything.” Kakashi tried to look innocent again.

Yamato simply snorted. “You were thinking it. I could see the smoke.”

“I’m hurt you think so little of me,” Kakashi said, attempting to look hurt and failing miserably—again. “That you’d think all I’d be here for was to confirm a rumor.”

“Speaking of the bar. How are Genma and Raidou?” Yamato’s eyebrows went up when Kakashi blushed.

“Um, they’re…” he paused, scratching the back of his head. “They’re fine.”

“When did that happen?”

“Uh, a few months ago. I…hadn’t really meant to be quite so, erm, outward with them at the bar that night. I’d had a bit too much to drink.”

“No, really?” Yamato asked, fighting the urge to laugh. It was kind of funny to see the great Hatake Kakashi flustered.

Kakashi glared at him. “Yes. How’s Iruka?”

Yamato frowned. “I haven’t seen him yet. I just got back a short while ago and was forced in here. How did you know I was here, anyway?”

“Oh, I was in a tree reading when I saw you come in.” He pointed through the window.

“Ah.” He was about to say something when another knock sounded. “Come in.”

Iruka opened the door and peeked around it. His eyes widened when he glanced at Kakashi. “If this is a bad time…?”

Yamato shook his head. “No, Sempai was just leaving.” Yamato sent a pointed glance at his teammate. “Thanks for stopping by.”  _ You’re not staying to watch this. _

“Right. No problem. I’ll, um, see you later.” Kakashi waved and poofed into thin air.

Iruka chuckled, shaking his head, then he turned to Yamato and they both stared at each other. “Are you okay?” Iruka finally asked.

Yamato blinked. He’d been thinking about that hair again, about the kisses they’d had before he left. “Hm? Oh! I’ll be fine. I’m stuck here for a day or two. Bruised ribs.” He pointed at his chest when Iruka scrunched his eyebrows. Yamato refused to get distracted by how cute that was. “But nothing I won’t get over. I got knocked back by a lightning bolt.” He shook his head at himself. “I’m more annoyed that I managed to get hit in the first place.”

“I can understand that. I would be too.” Iruka smiled. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. If you need anything, I’d be happy to get it for you.”

Yamato hesitated. “Actually, I need something to do. Could you… if I gave you my key would you get me a book or something?”

Iruka’s eyes widened and he blushed. “Oh, um, sure.”

“If you have time. I mean, I don’t want to impose or anything. I’m sure you have other things to do,” Yamato said, quickly.

“No, no! I don’t mind.” His cheeks darkened; then he sighed and rolled his eyes. “I was remembering the last time I was at your place.”

“Oh. Right.” Yamato swallowed and try as he might, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about it.  _ Oh fuck, Iruka, you taste good. _ His cheeks burned. Now was  _ so  _ not the time for those memories.

“So, um, what did you want?” Iruka asked into silence, drawing his attention back to them.

“Oh.” He blushed even brighter at getting caught daydreaming. “Um,  _ Icha Icha Adventures _ ?”

“Is that all? Do you—” He gulped. “—need clean clothes or… anything?”

Yamato sighed. Normally, family would do this kind of thing for him, but since he didn’t have any, he usually went without. But the image of Iruka digging through his underwear drawer made him want to die of embarrassment. “Actually I’m, um, okay there. Just the book, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure. Okay.” He nodded, looking a little relieved and Yamato had the feeling that Iruka didn’t want to go through his clothes any more than he wanted Iruka to. If things went well with them, if they dated more than once, then that would likely change. But until then, he didn’t want to put Iruka through that. “In fact, I have a copy and my apartment is closer. Why don’t I go get that now?”

“Oh, okay, if you’re sure. Like I said—” Yamato started, but Iruka interrupted him.

“Really, I don’t mind. And…” he sighed, closing his eyes briefly. “I know you don’t have any family. If you need something else, I’ll help. I… I know the feeling.”

Yamato frowned. “I actually forgot about that. I’m sorry. It’s okay, really. I had my pack with me, so I’ll be okay on clothes. Only thing of mine I’m allowed to wear is my boxers, anyway.” Iruka laughed, making Yamato smile. “The book is the biggest thing. Doing nothing will make me insane, especially since I can’t have my whittling knife in here.”

“Whittling?” Iruka raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah.” Yamato released a small piece of wood and held it up. “I like to carve stuff. But they kind of frown on weaponry of any kind in the hospital. Even if a whittling knife hardly counts.”

Iruka chuckled. “I guess I can understand why. I’d love to see the stuff you make sometime.”

Yamato considered Iruka and was caught again by how attractive he was. His face really lit up when he laughed. Yamato let his gaze move down over Iruka’s body. Even in his uniform, he was damned good looking. Yamato shook himself mentally. He was stuck in the hospital for at least a couple of days and couldn’t do anything if he got himself worked up. He forcibly shifted his thoughts. “I’ll be happy to show it to you.”

The silence turned awkward for a moment. “Anyway, if there isn’t anything else, I’ll go get that book for you,” Iruka said with a smile.

“Thanks, I’d really appreciate it.”

“No problem. I’ll only be a few minutes,” Iruka said. He hesitated, then laid his hand over Yamato’s and squeezed it once before leaving.

Yamato watched him go and when the door was closed, he lifted his hand and squeezed it. One little touch… One small touch went through him and the only time he’d felt that before… was with Iruka. Yamato sighed.

This was going to be the longest two days of his life.

Iruka was true to his word and only a few minutes later, he was back. He’d brought the requested book, along with a couple of magazines, and a newspaper. Yamato thanked him profusely, earning himself bright red cheeks and a stuttered welcome from Iruka. When he took the bag, it seemed a little heavy but Iruka wouldn’t let Yamato look in it until he’d left, with a promise to visit again as soon as he could.

So as soon as Iruka was out of the room, Yamato dumped the contents onto the bed and there, between the newspaper and magazine, was a whittling knife. Yamato’s heart thudded and he thought he might have fallen a little in love right in that moment.

Even though he wanted to whittle, he set everything else aside and picked up the book. It was no coincidence that he’d chosen that one. It was the very  _ Icha Icha _ novel that he’d almost started to read the morning after he and Iruka had been together. He gave up trying to ignore the reasons for reading it. He knew Jiraiya’s penchant for description and he was hoping for a clue on what the hell to do with Iruka if they ended up in bed at the end of their date.

He shook his head at himself, hid the knife under his pillow, stacked the magazines and newspaper on his table, and opened the book.

Iruka wiped his sweaty palms on his pants as he approached the hospital room door. He felt a little silly worrying about this since he’d just been there a few hours before. But he’d known that one would be a short visit. He’d come by during the lunch break and had to get back to his students.

This one had the potential to last quite a bit longer.

It wasn’t a date. He kept reminding himself of that and visiting a man in the hospital didn’t need to be such a big deal. Except it was, more than it probably should have been. He’d spent the entire week Yamato had been gone thinking about the way he’d kissed, the way he’d buried his face in Iruka’s hair, and they feel of those arms around him. He’d jacked off more than once—okay, maybe even more than once a day—with nothing more than the memory of that kiss and the hazy ones from the night they’d been together.

He shook his head at himself, then pulled the hair tie out of his hair, ran his fingers through it and stuffed the tie in his pocket. With a deep breath, he finally knocked.

When Yamato called the “Come in!” Iruka pushed open the door, peering around the frame.

Sakura sat in the chair next to Yamato’s bed. She waved and smiled at Iruka, who waved back. He tried not to blush when she looked from Yamato to him then back again.

He forced himself to address Yamato. “If this is a bad time…”

Before Yamato could speak, Sakura jumped up waving and grinning—a little too widely for Iruka’s peace of mind. “Nope. I have to get back anyway. I’ve got a few patients to check on. I’ll see you tomorrow, Yamato-taichou!” With a wave she was gone. Iruka wasn’t sure if she actually transported or just walked that fast. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.

He turned his attention back to his—what was Yamato? He couldn’t begin to put that together in his head yet, so he pushed the thought off. “How are you?”

Yamato made a face. “I could heal just as well at home, but Tsunade-sama won’t release me until I’m better healed because I don’t have anyone to take care of me.”

It was on the tip of Iruka’s tongue to argue—or, at least, offer—but realized they weren’t really in that kind of relationship. At least, not yet, and he wasn’t sure if Yamato would even feel comfortable with that. Iruka wasn’t sure  _ he  _ was comfortable with it.

“Well, I can understand that. I don’t do well with people taking care of me and I am even less patient being in the hospital. I’ve been fairly lucky and haven’t had to be here too much, but the few times I have…” He gave an over-dramatic shudder.

Yamato laughed. “Well, it could be worse. My chest and face hurt, but I’ve been in much worse pain before—including once waking up with Naruto trying to shove a rasengan into me.”

Iruka winced. “That couldn’t have been fun.”

“Oh no.” Yamato shook his head. “I now sleep with a wood wall around me.”

Iruka chuckled. “Better safe than sorry.”

Yamato smiled. “He doesn’t do that anymore. Well, we haven’t been on missions much since the war, either, but…”

“Yeah.” Iruka had trouble looking away. Even with bruises covering Yamato’s left cheek and forehead, even with his hair drooping, he still looked as good as ever. Iruka wasn’t sure what made him move closer, but he took the few steps to the bed and reached out, brushing a little bit of hair away from the bruised cheek. “I’m…” He swallowed. “I’m really glad you’re okay.”

Yamato didn’t answer right away. Instead, he closed his eyes and rested his bruised cheek in Iruka’s palm. Iruka brushed his thumb over the black and blue spots, a little stunned at the action. He moved up and perched on the edge of the bed, not sure how to handle it.

He wondered if it wasn’t an extension of what they’d said earlier. Yamato didn’t have any family—something Iruka was well familiar with—and while he had friends and teammates, it wasn’t quite the same. Maybe, even though they hadn’t actually  _ dated _ yet, it was more about the fact that Iruka wanted Yamato to come back because he cared in a way the team and Yamato’s friends didn’t.

It certainly felt different. Every time Iruka’s friends left on a mission, he worried about them and hoped they came back safely. This… Yamato… had been harder. He’d been up early, watching the sunrise from his room the morning Yamato left, trying  _ not  _ to think about him leaving. Trying not to worry. As he stood to go back inside, he’d just caught the glimpse of a team leaving the ANBU headquarters. His vision wasn’t good enough to pick out which had been Yamato, but he had no doubt one of them was.

He’d watched until there hadn’t even been a speck of black or gray. Then he’d stood a little longer, saying a prayer for them. It’d taken too long for him to get back inside to get ready for the day.

Iruka didn’t let himself think, didn’t give himself the chance to second-guess, he simply leaned in and brushed his lips over Yamato’s. Yamato came alive under him, mouth opening, tongue touching Iruka’s lips and in seconds, he was lost to the feel and taste of the kiss, of  _ Yamato. _

Yamato wrapped one arm around Iruka and with the other hand, cupped his head, holding him close. Iruka concentrated on remembering how to breathe as he returned the kiss. He didn’t want to admit how much he’d missed Yamato, wasn’t quite ready to admit it to himself, but there, with their tongues touching, their arms around each other, he could at least let some of the tangle of emotion inside him out into the kiss.

They broke apart a moment later and Yamato ran his fingers through Iruka’s hair. Neither of them seemed to be able to breathe well and though Iruka was dying to know what Yamato was thinking, he kept his silence and let Yamato go at his own pace… even if that pace was going to kill them both.

But only a moment later, Yamato swallowed and smiled. It was a little shaky and not very wide, but the warmth of it filled Iruka. “That was definitely worth making sure I got home in one piece.”

That surprised a laugh out of Iruka. “I’m glad you think so.”

Yamato nodded. “I do.”

“Um… I’m not sure we’re quite ready for that yet.”

Yamato blinked at him for a long moment, then started laughing only to cut it off with a groan, nearly bending over. “Ugh. Laughing is definitely not something I should do much of.”

“Hey, no making it worse,” Iruka said, glaring. “We can’t go on our date if you’re still stuck here.”

With obvious effort, Yamato pulled himself together and sat up again. “Right. Um… perhaps we should do something a little safer, then, instead of making me laugh.”

Iruka chuckled. “I’m not sure we should do that in here, either.”

Yamato held up a hand, clearly struggling to not laugh again. When he seemed like he’d beaten the urge, he said, “You know, if you hadn’t just kissed me like you did, I’d think you were trying to get out of the date.”

Iruka raised an eyebrow. “You’re not getting out of it that easily.”

“I’m not sure I’d consider several bruised ribs ‘easily.’ Would you?”

Iruka laughed and shook his head. “No, no I wouldn’t. Um, how about some cards, then? That might be safer.”

Yamato smiled and nodded. “Yeah, that might.”

Yamato wasn’t sure where the evening went. He’d thought they’d end up awkwardly sitting next to each other, with him trying to avoid thinking about their first night together—or the kiss before he left or the one when Iruka came in earlier—but they hadn’t. Iruka had produced a deck of cards from his bag and set up the table between them. They’d spent a good deal of time playing Two-Ten-Jack and though Yamato hadn’t avoided laughing as much as he should have, he wouldn’t have traded the time for anything. He’d loved hearing about Iruka’s students and the fellow teachers. And he’d spent plenty of time telling stories about Kakashi and Naruto and the rest of his team.

After Iruka packed the cards up, he stood next to the bed. “I’m afraid I’ve got to go.”

It did good things to Yamato to hear the genuine disappointment in Iruka’s voice. He smiled and reached out to touch Iruka’s hand. “It’s okay. It is a school night.”

Iruka turned his hand and took Yamato’s. “Yes. And it wouldn’t do if the teacher is the one falling asleep in class.”

Yamato chuckled. “I’m sure that’s generally frowned on, yes.”

“I’ll come back tomorrow, if you’d like.” Iruka wouldn’t look at him, so Yamato squeezed his hand.

When Iruka’s gaze was back on Yamato’s face, he smiled. “I’d like that.”

Iruka opened his mouth, then apparently changed his mind about what he was going to say. He gave a wry smile. “I need to stop making you laugh. So, I’ll just say okay. Um… I’ll be by after classes. Try not to be too bored during the day.”

Yamato smiled. “I… think I can find something to do.”

Red spread over Iruka’s cheeks and he cleared his throat. “Well, there’s the book to read.” He nodded.

“Right. That’s what I was talking about and not the other thing in the bag. Thank you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He smirked. “But you’re welcome.”

Iruka surprised Yamato again by leaning in and kissing him softly. Before Yamato could do more, he straightened and stepped away from the bed. “Tomorrow then.”

Yamato nodded. “Bye.” He waved when Iruka did, and couldn’t seem to look away until the door was closed completely.

Yamato discovered it was really difficult to hide wood shavings and a whittling knife from the nurses. At home--or on missions--it wasn’t something he paid attention to. But despite being careful, the nurses still found them. He swore they had a sixth sense or something. At least, the morning nurse did. He smiled as sweetly as he could, then grew a flower for her and sufficiently distracted her from asking about them. He was careful from then on to clean them up.

It was the only thing that kept him from going completely batshit crazy. He’d had to start over twice, unhappy with what had been coming through. Finally, he gave in and worked the figure that  _ wanted  _ to come out and, of course, it looked much better than his first two attempts.

The dolphin sat, now, on the little moving table. He’d need to sand and finish it later, but he had a feeling Iruka would like it. He hoped, anyway.

Yamato blew out a breath. He’d learned more about Iruka the night before, but the whole idea of being involved with a man still messed with him. It just wasn’t something he’d ever considered before waking up with Iruka in his arms. Even if he acknowledged the fact that he might have been attracted to Kakashi or another guy once or twice, it wasn’t the same, in his mind. What’s more, he’d never had a lot of friendships before, so he couldn’t even draw much on that either.

Before he could work himself up too badly, Iruka knocked. He might have only been there a couple of times before, but Yamato recognized the sound and felt quite a bit better when he did. “Come in!”

Iruka peeked around the door before stepping into the room. “Hi.”

Yamato let the smile spread across his face. “Hi. Um…” He nudged the table closer to Iruka, but found himself suddenly with red cheeks and unable to look up. He wasn’t sure if the play on Iruka’s name was the best idea after all. He swallowed hard.

“Oh! That’s beautiful.”

Yamato looked up, raising his eyebrows. “You like it?”

Iruka nodded several times, smile spreading. “Very much. Is it for me?”

“Yes. I mean, if you want it.”

“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?” He looked genuinely puzzled.

“Uh, well…” Yamato cleared his throat. “I didn’t know if the play on your name was… uh… okay or not.”

Iruka blinked, then shook his head. “I don’t mind at all. You might be surprised how many dolphins I have, thanks to gifts from my students.” He chuckled. “Really, I like it. Thank you.” Iruka leaned in and kissed Yamato, but it was too short for him to do much in response.

Yamato breathed a sigh of relief. “So, uh… more cards or something?”

“Yes. Actually, I brought the Hanafuda deck tonight, if you’d like to play some of that.”

“Oh, one of my favorites.”

“Good. Mine too.”

Yamato smiled when Iruka carefully set the dolphin on the side table before digging into his bag. He sat up and pulled out the cards then started shuffling. “So, can you tell me about the mission?”

  
  
Iruka thought Friday would never get there. He hadn’t seen Yamato since he’d left the hospital Tuesday night. Tsunade had released Yamato late Wednesday morning but according the message Yamato sent Iruka, he’d still been tired and out of sorts. He’d apologized profusely for not seeing Iruka in person—which Iruka thought was nuts since Yamato was still recovering—then finished by making Iruka’s heart thud with a “I look forward to our date.” Iruka had sent a note back, giving his own apology since he had to fill in on the mission desk the next two nights because Izumo and Kotetsu had been sent on a mission. Yamato’s reply had made Iruka’s heart melt even more.  _ Can’t wait until Friday. _ He couldn’t remember two days ever taking  _ so  _ long to pass.

It was probably best, anyway, so he wouldn’t have to worry about getting up early the next day. But he was damned anxious, even so.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d looked forward to a date this much. The visits with Yamato at the hospital both evenings had eased a lot of their initial awkwardness with each other. So it’s not like he was nervous or anything, really.

Bullshit. He was. He’d never in his life been on a date with a man before. Even recognizing that he was attracted to the man and possibly bisexual in general didn’t change the fact that this was nerve wracking. He may have been more comfortable with Yamato, but that didn’t do anything to alleviate his worries about what to do on a date with the man.

For one thing, he knew what  _ he _ usually thought when he took a woman out. Most of the time, even though he’d never push, he wondered if they’d end up in bed.

So his mind was firmly on the possibility of whether or not  _ they’d  _ end up in bed. And that had led to questions about how the hell all that worked. He had vague ideas, both with his hazy memories of the night he and Yamato had already been together, as well as having read references to it in Jiraiya’s books. He was convinced the old Pervy Sage must have been bi himself. But even he hadn’t been very descriptive, much to Iruka’s disappointment when he went back and reread the books. Which he’d done right after that monumental night two weeks ago.

He knew  _ some _ of what would obviously be involved. He did have a few memories. But even so, it was still somewhat of a mystery to him. So his mind was firmly on sex most of the week, much to his chagrin. He’d finally broken down on his day off and spent some time hiding in the back shelves of the bookstore, reading the few books that he could find that had talked about being gay. The thought of actually buying them had made him want to crawl under a rock, so he spent the time next to the shelves looking through them, hoping for a clue or two. He knew being embarrassed about that was ridiculous—there was absolutely  _ nothing _ wrong with being gay—but he hadn’t gotten his brain to accept that for himself, yet. Even if he was only bi.

By the time Friday got there, his nerves were shot and he was seriously considering canceling the date just because he was freaking out so much. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it, no matter how nuts he was. He really didn’t want to, and he also wasn’t going to do that to Yamato, not over his nerves.

When the school bell  _ finally  _ rang Friday, he was packed and on his way home within a couple of minutes. He’d blushed but waved at a grinning Maiko before escaping the school. He had a few hours before Yamato was due, but he was determined to get rid of some of his tension before they went out. He didn’t need to spend the entire damned night this insane.

He stopped at the store to pick up a few things and his cheeks downright burned at the look the clerk gave him when he checked out. When she glanced at the enema box and the bottle of lube, he felt like he might as well have had a sign around his neck that said, “I’m planning to have gay sex.” He’d closed his eyes and decided it was his own damned business. When he opened them and glared at her, she at least had the grace to blush.

Of course, finding himself sitting on the toilet, staring at the clear bottle with the long white nozzle brought the embarrassment back full-force.  _ Good grief, am I really thinking about this? _ Yes, he was. He’d done enough research—yes, research—in those books, to know that it was, if not necessary, definitely a good idea.

He took a deep breath and managed to take care of it without actually dying of embarrassment. The five minutes’ waiting had felt like three hours, but after it was done, he realized that it was all in his head. He was the only one there to see it. Even Yamato didn’t know what he’d done and wouldn’t unless he said something. He sighed at himself while he was getting ready to get into the shower.

Iruka was a grown man, attracted to another man. There wasn’t a damned thing wrong with it and he knew it. There was no reason to be so nervous and worked up. They’d already kissed and touched and that had felt plenty natural. Maybe, just maybe, he was blowing this all out of proportion and anything they did would feel just as natural.

With that thought in his head, he calmed down quite a bit. Of course, after that, his thoughts turned to some of what he’d read—the  _ details _ — of things they’d probably do and the tension from  _ that _ started to creep back in. Because he’d  _ liked _ what he read and found himself seriously aroused.

Enough so, he had to wait to leave the bookstore.

He managed to go back over some of the things he read, looking at it from a more academic point of view. That helped him give some thought to what he might want to try when it came to that. But thinking about that made him think about doing those things with Yamato which reminded him of the last time they were together. It reminded him of the kisses and touches they’d shared already, and in no time flat, he was hard and frustrated. He decided he needed to do something so he could actually maybe enjoy the date itself.

It wasn’t the first time he’d masturbated in the shower before a date. And, since the incident two weeks ago, every time he’d gone to masturbate—which he’d needed to do a ridiculous number of times—he’d been able to think of nothing but Yamato. He let his mind wander back to that night, what he remembered of it, and his imagination filled in the rest.

As he brought back the memory of what it felt like to have Yamato’s cock in his mouth, he started stroking himself. He imagined what it would have been like if they’d been working on each other at the same time and he moved his hand a little faster. He thought about Yamato’s mouth on him, sucking on him, swallowing his cock and before long he called Yamato’s name through his orgasm.

He felt a little better immediately. He scrubbed himself off and climbed out, then stood in front of the mirror, brushing his hair. He nearly pulled it up out of habit, then changed his mind, reminding himself how much Yamato loved it down. The he wondered if he should leave it up for Yamato to take down, then he got annoyed with himself for worrying so damned much about it. He left the tie on the bathroom sink and left the room.

He was still ready way too early. He found himself pacing his apartment, checking the clock every couple of minutes and he stopped mid-stride.  _ Dammit, this is ridiculous! _ He almost banged his head against the wall. It was just a damned date.

Except it wasn’t, and he knew it. They already felt for each other. Iruka couldn’t even pretend there wasn’t anything between them after the two evenings they’d spent together already. Even if they’d been in a hospital room over cards, the time had only cemented Iruka’s want to learn more, be with Yamato more.

So, while it was “just a damned date,” it was also a first for both of them, and that added a different element to it. How did he handle a date with a man? On top of that, he figured Yamato was probably wondering the same thing he was—what would happen after it was over? Would they go to bed?

He was mid-lap in his living room, his thoughts racing over everything he’d read and researched, nearly working himself back into major tension when the knock came, making him almost jump out of his skin. His hand on his chest to calm his heart, and several deep breaths later, he managed to make it over to the door. He gave himself a second to recognize Yamato’s chakra signature, then let out a breath.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Standard disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it's sequels, world, or characters. Only thing I came up with are a couple of places and the storyline. I make no money off this story and have no wish to.

Yamato smiled at the thud.  He’d done his own head banging back home before he left.  It helped to calm him a little to realize Iruka was just as nervous as he was.  Despite the time they’d spent together while he’d been in the hospital, he was ridiculously nervous for a date.

Of course, then the door opened and he had to stop and stare. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen Iruka dressed for a date before.  He’d been in the very nice snug sweater and pants when he’d been out with Maiko for their disastrous accidental double-date. But even so, Yamato couldn’t stop the need to soak up the vision of Iruka dressed up, especially because it was  _ for him _ .

Iruka had left his hair down and Yamato had to force himself to keep from reaching out to touch it.  He had no idea  _ why _ it drew him so much; it just did. It made him feel like a genin, like he’d never been on a date before.

He managed to drag his eyes away from the hair and to what Iruka was wearing.  He’d left the collar of the deep blue button-down shirt open and Yamato forced himself to look away from that neck.  The images of fixing his mouth to it slammed into him and his cheeks heated just from that. He’d have thought two weeks would have been enough for him to stop obsessing over that night and all the things they’d done.

His inner-self snorted.  _ Yeah, right. Is that why you still jack off to those memories? _

_ Shut up _ , he growled in his head.

All he got to that was a mental cackle.

Yamato swallowed the drool and forced his eyes up to Iruka’s gorgeous face.  He managed to dig up a smile from somewhere and Iruka responded with one of his own.  The way Iruka’s smile list up his whole face filled Yamato with warmth. That the smile was aimed at Yamato was the icing on the cake.  “Hi,” Yamato managed, trying desperately not to blush even more.

“Hi.” When it became obvious Iruka was looking him over, the blush Yamato had been fighting won and he was doubly glad he’d worn his best pants and sweater, especially with the admiring look in Iruka’s eyes.

They just stared at each other another moment when Yamato mentally shook himself. “Um, here.” He handed Iruka a bottle of sake.  Yamato had labored over  _ that _ decision for nearly forever. He didn’t have the first clue what to bring a man for a date.  In fact, he had no clue if he even was supposed to like he did when he took a woman out, but he figured a gift was never a bad idea. Since he didn’t think flowers were very appropriate, he’d settled on the sake, knowing, at least, that Iruka liked it.

“Oh! Thank you,” Iruka said, blinking down at it, then smiled again even wider.  He turned back to his apartment, then set it on his kitchen table. When he came back, Yamato hesitated, then gave in to need and leaned in, leaving a soft kiss on Iruka’s lips. When he pulled back, Iruka’s cheeks were once again red, but his eyes were still closed as if he was savoring the kiss, and he was smiling. It did good things for Yamato’s heart and helped him calm down even more.

“Ready?” Yamato asked in a whisper. Iruka opened his eyes and nodded, so Yamato stepped back and waited while Iruka closed and locked his door. 

As they walked along the street, Yamato had no idea if he was supposed to take Iruka’s hand or anything. He wanted to, but had didn’t know if Iruka would or how public Iruka might want to be. Yamato wished he’d asked Kakashi what the hell to do, since he obviously had  _ some  _ experience with this stuff.  Then again, Yamato had never seen the man actually date, so he had no idea if Kakashi really took Genma and Raidou on dates or if they just did… stuff.

“Hmm?” Iruka’s voice pulled Yamato out of his musings.

“I’m sorry?” Yamato asked, annoyed at himself that he’d been lost in thought instead of paying attention to Iruka.

“I thought you said something.”

Yamato shook his head. “Oh. I didn’t mean to. But... I was wondering if Kakashi actually took Genma or Raidou out on dates. And if so, did he take  _ both  _ of them at the same time?”

“No idea. I have to admit, it’s a little weird. I mean, not the part about them being guys,” Iruka hurried to add.

“No.  More the fact that there are three of them.” Yamato sighed. “I think that’s just something I’m not quite going to get. But I’ll say this much, he seems to really care about them.”

“I suppose it’s possible. I mean… parents care for more than one kid, right?”

Yamato glanced over at Iruka. “Yeah. Huh. I never thought about it that way.”  He frowned. “But I don’t remember my parents, so I don’t really know.”

“I’m sorry!” Iruka said, hurriedly. “I didn’t mean…”

“No, don’t worry about it. I really don’t think about it most of the time.” He shrugged. “There are times it bothers me, but mostly because I don’t have  _ any _ family, you know?”

“Yeah, I do.  I mean, I remember mine, but they’ve been gone so long.” Iruka swallowed, looking away.

“I’m sorry!  Ugh. I’m doing  _ so _ great at this.” He sighed, rolling his eyes at himself.  “Doing great at putting my foot in my mouth,” he muttered.

Iruka laughed. “You’re doing fine. I brought it up first, remember?”

“Right.” Yamato chuckled making a concerted effort to let it go, then sighed. That seemed to break the tension a little bit.  They turned the next corner then and paused outside of Ichiraku’s. “Um, I don’t want you to think I’m cheap or anything, but, well, I thought since it’s your favorite…” He stumbled over his words, his cheeks burning.

Iruka grinned. “Who told you?” Yamato swallowed, but before he could speak, Iruka said, “Wait, don’t tell me…”

“Naruto,” they said at the same time and laughed. Yamato relaxed a little more at that.

“I think it’s great,” Iruka said, ducking under the curtain and they took seats near the end of the counter. “You know, I would have brought Maiko here but I didn’t think she’d appreciate it.”

Yamato laughed. “I love it. Not my favorite food like yours is, but it’s up there on the list.”

“What is yours?” Iruka asked,a little too casually in Yamato’s opinion.

Yamato concentrated on the menu, not willing to call Iruka on that. “Walnut shrimp.”

They put in their orders and Yamato took a breath, determined to get a grip on himself.  He tried for a safe subject. "So, tell me about your kids."

"Kids?" Iruka stared at him blankly. " _ Oh _ , my students!" He dropped his face into his palm. "I'm such a mess tonight," he muttered, shaking his head. Before Yamato could reply to that, though, Iruka launched into a nice long distracting discussion about his students.  After the first few comments, Yamato found things he could ask about and they both were able to lose the tension. 

By the time the ramen was served, they were once again comfortable around each other.  Conversation flowed into Naruto and Yamato's other teammates, including Sai and his attempts at making friends.  Then there were the inevitable comments about Kakashi. "I swear the man has one of those books glued to his hands at all times," Yamato said, shaking his head.

"I know. I mean, I know they're not  _ just  _ porn.  Mature, yes, but not just porn, right? But even so, you'd think he could put them down  _ once  _ in a while." Iruka laughed.  "I think he does it deliberately.  Make people think he's lazier than he really is."

"I think you're right about that.  You know, the new Icha Icha movie is out. I was wondering if you'd want to go see it after dinner." Yamato swallowed, hoping that Iruka would say yes. A nice dark theater that didn't  _ require _ conversation but allowed him to still be close might help things a bit.  Of course, that could cause its own problems, but he'd face  _ those _ when they happened.

"I didn't know it was out. That sounds good," Iruka said and blushed.  

Yamato wondered if Iruka was thinking the same thing he was. Well, why the hell not? He couldn't help but wonder what might happen after their date was over.  If he had gone out with a woman, he'd be wondering if he could get her into bed—or, well, if they’d end up in bed, because he didn’t like pressuring someone into bed. He much preferred them enthusiastic. So, he’d spent at least part of the date wondering if they’d end up in bed. Why not this person, too?

_ Because it's a man and you've never dated a man before. _  He shoved his inner-self into the back of his mind. He was already enough of a wreck and most  _ definitely _ didn't need the extra help.

There was an awkward moment when the check came and they stared at each other.  Who the hell paid? Yamato wanted to, but he didn't know what Iruka was thinking.  He settled on, "I asked you out," and picked it up. 

Iruka stared at him another moment, then said simply, "Thank you."

This was definitely different. Yamato sighed. None of the women he’d ever dated had even  _ hinted _ at wanting to pay—or split the check—or anything of the sort. He wondered if this went further if he'd ever get used to dating a man. Deciding it wasn't a question he could answer then, he set it aside.

When they left Ichiraku’s and turned down the road toward the theater, the tension started to creep in again.  Yamato bumped Iruka's hand at one point and they glanced at each other, blushing. Then, deciding to just take a chance, Yamato took Iruka's hand.

Good grief, that felt good. It was ridiculous. Just holding his hand.  Yamato realized he felt like he had on his very first date years ago. And it  _ was _ kind of like that all over again.  Everything here was new and different than any of previous his experiences.

Iruka's hand closed around his and they said nothing, just walked the last couple of blocks to the theater in silence.  He had to let go to buy the tickets and he felt a ridiculous disappointment at that. Shaking off the thought as they stepped into the theater, Yamato held the door for Iruka.  He hesitated briefly, glanced at Yamato, then murmured a “thank you” and went through. Yamato figured Iruka wasn’t used to having someone hold the door for him and instead was used to being the one doing the door-holding.

"Um, popcorn?" Yamato asked as they approached the snack counter and Iruka nodded.  When they had the bucket and drinks, they went to find the theater itself, but discovered they were early, so they had to wait.

"It's been a while since I've read this one. I don’t remember much about it," Iruka said, frowning in thought.

"Um, they go undercover.  I think there was a mob boss involved? I don’t remember much, myself." Yamato took a sip of his drink, trying not to think about the hair that was right next to him again.  It was almost close enough to bury his face in and he fought against the urge to do so. That was  _ so  _ not the place for it.

"Oh! Right, I remember now.  Hmm. I wonder who owns the rights to these now that the Pervy Sage is gone," Iruka wondered.  He held out the popcorn and Yamato took a few kernels, grateful for something to think about other than the man next to him. At least for a few seconds, anyway.

"Actually, he passed them to Naruto."

"Wow. Really?" Iruka's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Lucky kid."

"Yeah." Yamato chuckled. "He was actually kind of annoyed, though because now, Kakashi's  _ always _ trying to get him to pay for lunch."

Iruka laughed. "I can believe it." 

The doors opened then, and one of the employees came out.  He smiled at them and waved toward the theater. "You can go in."

"Thanks." Yamato held the door and Iruka paused before going through, glancing over at him.  Yamato figured that, like before, Iruka was having as much trouble with the idea of dating a man as he did. He decided to just say something.  

When they found seats a few rows from the back and were settled, he turned to face Iruka. "You know, this is completely new to me too. I have no idea what to do, for sure.   I mean, do I hold the door? Do I pay?" He shook his head.

Iruka chuckled. "I've been wondering the same thing. I keep thinking there's something I'm supposed to be doing, you know?  _ Like _ holding the door or something." He shook his own head. 

"Yeah." Yamato sighed. "I’ve... never been the most adept at dating. I mean, my, uh, relationships—the few I had—never lasted very long. But, I guess if you're not ready to run screaming from me, I haven't done too badly." 

Iruka laughed. "Hardly!" He snorted, trying to smother the laughs and Yamato couldn't help but get caught up in it.  Before long, they were both laughing.

When they calmed down a few minutes later, Yamato was grinning. "I feel like I'm back on my first ever date. Geez."

"I know what you mean." Iruka chuckled, then bumped him with his elbow. "Let's just enjoy the movie, hmm?"  He tilted his head toward the screen where the previews were starting.

Yamato nodded. "Yeah, I think we can handle that." Iruka held out the popcorn box and Yamato took a few kernels, then shifted his attention to the screen.

He couldn't have named a single preview, though.  Despite the agreement to just enjoy the movie, he kept wondering if he should put his arm around Iruka or if he should at least hold his hand or what.  He wanted to, but didn't know how Iruka would react. It wasn't until the movie itself started that he could finally concentrate more. Like Jiraiya's books, he was drawn in.  The director was definitely good at his job.

He shifted in his seat at one point and put his arm down on the divider between them.  Iruka's hand was already there and he glanced over. Iruka was watching him, but instead of pulling his hand away, Iruka turned his and they held hands instead.

Yamato swallowed, staring, but then an explosion on screen caught his attention.  They both turned back to the movie, but despite how engrossing it was, more of his focus was on the hand in his than on the screen.  It was ridiculous how much that touch went through him. Just one touch! Just holding hands! Yamato’s cock hardened and any attention he had left for the movie disappeared.

He glanced over and based on the fidgeting Iruka was doing, he was having the same trouble.  His eyes kept darting over to Yamato, then down to their hands, then back to the screen. 

Giving up, Yamato let go of Iruka's hand and reached up to touch his hair.  That incredible hair that had been distracting him for  _ way  _ too long, since the first time he’d seen it spread over his shoulder.  Iruka's eyes closed as Yamato ran his fingers through it and he leaned in and buried his face in the soft strands.  _ Damn _ , Iruka smelled  _ so _ good. 

Yamato didn't remember starting it, but somewhere along the line, he was running his lips along Iruka’s neck. He stopped at the ear and pulled back, glancing at Iruka's face. His eyes were still closed, his face flushed, his breathing shallow. Yamato turned back and closed the last tiny distance, placing his lips right behind the ear.

Iruka inhaled sharply. He reached up and gripped Yamato's sweater in one hand. Yamato made a mental note of the spot and pulled back again.  

Iruka turned to him and their lips met. It took everything in Yamato not to crush Iruka to him. Their mouths opened, their tongues touched, and he let out a quiet moan of his own. He threaded his hands through that amazing hair, and deepened the kiss even more. He couldn't taste enough, couldn't get enough of that mouth as it moved over his.

They broke apart again, their faces barely a couple of centimeters apart, the movie completely forgotten. There was another explosion on the screen, but this time, Yamato didn’t even notice it. Neither did Iruka, it seemed, since he didn’t look away from Yamato. Iruka swallowed and licked his lips. "Do you… just want to go?

If Yamato hadn't been so focused on Iruka, he'd have missed the words as quiet as they were. But he didn't. He caught them and barely resisted the urge to cheer. Instead, he took a shaky breath and simply nodded.  He had to adjust himself before he could stand, but he managed to pay enough attention to get out of the row of seats without tripping over or stepping on anyone. He considered transporting them, but he wanted, needed to calm down a little and hoped the walk to one of their homes would help with that.  They dropped their cups and the popcorn into the garbage, then headed out very quickly. 

When they were on the street this time, Yamato didn't hesitate to take his hand.  Iruka glanced over at him and their eyes met again. "My place," was all Iruka said, and Yamato nodded.

He thought he did very well restraining himself until they got to the apartment door.  He fought the urge several times to pin Iruka against a wall, any wall, and start kissing him again.  But they made it all the way to Iruka's apartment and he even held on until the door was closed and locked behind them.  

But by that time, he couldn't fight himself anymore.  He pinned Iruka up against the wall and captured his lips again.  Iruka let out a moan and moved his hands up over Yamato's body, under his sweater, running over the skin, and Yamato bucked against him in reaction.

Oh  _ fuck _ , that felt so good.  Iruka was as hard as he was and Yamato wanted nothing more than to strip him right there.  It was still surprising just how much he wanted this, but he did, he couldn't ignore it. He ground his cock against Iruka’s and was rewarded with another groan.  

They nipped at each others’ lips and battled for control of the kiss as they became more desperate.  Iruka pulled at Yamato's sweater and he stepped back long enough to tug it over his head, their eyes never leaving each other's.  He attacked the buttons on Iruka's shirt, but kept his head long enough to make sure to open  _ all _ of them before taking it off him.

But when Iruka’s amazing chest was exposed to him, he lost his restraint then.  His mouth fixed onto Iruka’s neck again and he sucked hard at the skin. "Oh fuck, that's good.  _ Yamato _ ."

He groaned when the nails scored across his back and he rocked against the clothed cock, the friction close, so, so close, but not quite enough.  He needed more of this man, wanted to taste all of Iruka—when he was sober and could remember it—and he pulled back once more. Yamato’s dark eyes locked onto Iruka’s brown ones again and Yamato pulled him into the main part of the room, intending to get him onto the bed.

They only got a few more feet, though, before their mouths crashed together again.  Iruka snaked his hand down to the front of Yamato's pants and he gripped Yamato’s cock, rubbing the hard length there. Yamato released his lips. "Damn, that's good," he moaned loudly, grinding against the hand.  "I… I need you." He couldn’t breathe, couldn't seem to think clearly.

He fumbled with Iruka's pants, nipping at the naked skin in front of him, and despite being careful, the button popped anyway. "Fuck. I'm sorry."

Iruka chuckled. "That's okay.  I don’t care. I just need to feel you."  The smile faded then, when he pulled at Yamato's pants as well, finally getting him naked.  Their eyes met once more, then Iruka started making a path down over Yamato's chest with his lips, nipping and sucking, leaving a trail of marks in his wake as he dropped to his knees.  

Iruka stared at the hard cock in front of him.  He remembered vividly two weeks ago, taking it into his mouth for the first time.  That had been in the middle of a drunken mess, though, and he hadn’t been thinking. And while he remembered  _ what _ happened, he didn’t remember as much about how it felt for him.  Looking up, he caught Yamato watching him with an expression of anxiousness and Iruka swallowed his own fear and nervousness.  He wanted to give to Yamato, wanted to make him feel good. So Iruka stuck his tongue out, tentatively touching the head. 

_ It tastes so good _ . He licked at the pre-cum dripping slowly out and Iruka’s eyes closed on their own when he heard the sharp gasp above him.  He wrapped his hand around the base of Yamato’s cock, then slowly took the whole thing into his mouth. 

"Fuck, Iruka." Yamato slid his hands into Iruka’s hair and pushed it back away from Iruka’s face.  

Iruka did his best to ignore the fact that Yamato was watching him. If he let himself think about it, the nervousness would grow. Instead, he focused on the sounds Yamato let out from what he was doing. He took his time learning the cock in his mouth, tasting every little bit that he could, cataloging the moans and gasps Yamato made when he did something right.  

He learned that Yamato liked it when he ran his tongue along the underside while he moved his mouth over it.  Yamato was apparently really sensitive right below the tip. And a tiny bump about half way down the length made Yamato moan especially loudly if Iruka played with it with his tongue.

And if he relaxed his throat and added just a tiny bit of chakra, he could swallow Yamato completely.  When he did this, Yamato shouted with it. " _ Fuck _ ! Oh fuck! Stop, Iruka… stop or I'll come." When he didn't, not wanting to stop tasting, Yamato fisted his hands in Iruka’s hair.  "Not yet,  _ please _ , not yet."

He finally pulled back and looked up. Yamato tugged on him, and he stood as Yamato brought him in for another kiss.  They backed up to the bed and fell together onto it. "My turn," Yamato whispered and started his own path down over Iruka's body.

Iruka had to grab the headboard to ground himself as that Yamato moved over him with lips and tongue.  Yamato took his own time learning, and Iruka went damned near crazy from it. He'd never experienced anything even close to the way Yamato pleasured him, licking and sucking in, apparently,  _ all _ the right places.  

He discovered that his nipples were really sensitive and when Yamato sucked on them, it brought an almost embarrassingly loud gasp from him.  The way Yamato had of leaving marks made him want to scream. And it was even worse when he simply dragged his lips lightly over Iruka’s stomach, with just enough touch to make him desperate for more, though Iruka’s mind was way too gone to actually  _ quantify _ what that “more” was.

And when Yamato took Iruka’s incredibly hard cock into his mouth, Iruka really did lose his mind a little.  Before long, he found himself begging, too—begging to get Yamato to stop, to let go of his straining cock, not ready for it to be over yet.

He wanted more.  Once he managed to calm down just a little, he could finally clarify—at least in his own head—what he wanted, needed: Yamato inside him. But as he stared into the dark eyes above him, he blushed. How the hell did he ask for it? What the hell was he going to say?

"Iruka, I…" Yamato paused, his own cheeks coloring. "Iruka, I want… you."  He closed his eyes and whispered, "Fuck."

Iruka put his finger over Yamato’s lips. Grateful he wasn't going to have to ask, he simply pulled at the drawer of his bedside table and, not taking his eyes off Yamato, felt inside.  His hand closed around the bottle he was looking for and, cheeks burning, he held it up.

Yamato glanced down at it, his own color getting worse.  He fisted his hand around the bottle and he closed his eyes, struggling with something.  He sat back a moment, took a deep breath, then opened his eyes. "Do we… should we…" He sighed, annoyed with himself. "Should we use a condom?"

Iruka licked his lips. "I've never been with another man before. As, I'm sure, you know... well, aside from you two weeks ago, but that's not what I mean, I mean… I've never…" His mouth snapped closed and he closed his eyes again, gritting his teeth briefly.  He took a deep breath, then another and reached for the best logic he could. “My checkups have never shown anything and I’m pretty sure Tsunade would kick my ass if anything  _ did  _ turn up.”

Yamato nodded, seeming to accept that, though he blushed. "Yeah, ninja. I should have thought of that." He shook his head at himself.

Iruka held out a hand. “We’re not exactly thinking clearly right now.” Yamato gave a small smile at that. “Anyway... I'd rather feel you—all of you—inside me." Iruka took another deep breath and met Yamato’s gaze.

“I want to feel you too,” Yamato whispered as he leaned forward, then, kissing Iruka once more, before sitting back and opening the bottle.  He coated one finger and reached down. 

Iruka spread his legs as wide as he could, feeling just a little silly.  But then he felt the finger on his ass, effectively distracting him, and he moaned. "That feels—” He paused to gasp when Yamato teased him. “—so good." His eyes closed as he focused on the sensations.  It was odd to have something at his ass, pushing into him, but it felt really good, too.

Yamato moved the finger into him a little more, then he hit a spot inside Iruka and Iruka's eyes flew open wide. He let out a shout. His prostate. Yamato was hitting his prostate. He'd heard before that it felt really good, but never experienced it. Yamato bent down over him again, capturing his lips once more and Iruka forgot any embarrassment, forgot being uncomfortable at all. All he could focus on was that mouth and the finger moving inside of him.  

Then it was gone and Yamato fumbled with the bottle again.  This time, there was a little more discomfort when the second finger was added and Iruka winced. "I'm sorry," Yamato whispered, "hang in there. Please. I really want you, but I won't hurt you."

Iruka gripped Yamato’s shoulders and a moment later, the discomfort eased and he started feeling good again. He found himself grateful Yamato had obviously done some research as well. Iruka had read about stretching but hadn’t given it much thought. He’d certainly never expected it to feel so good. It was almost  _ too _ much.  When Yamato hit his prostate again, his hips started moving on their own and he moaned loudly.  The fingers pulling at him as he was stretched, then a moment later, they were gone again. He swallowed hard, and tried to force himself to relax.  

Because a few seconds later, he felt  _ three _ fingers push into him. This  _ did  _ hurt a little bit, but he'd be damned if he backed down now. He wanted this man, wanted him inside, and Iruka wasn't going to fuck this up.  He reminded himself this was important if he was going to get what he wanted. So, he tightened his hands on Yamato's shoulders a little more and focused on the parts that felt good.

He relaxed himself further when Yamato kissed him again, then nibbled on the spot behind his ear that was so sensitive.  At the same time, Yamato hit his prostate again and Iruka nearly shouted. "Oh fuck, Yamato!  _ Yes. _ "

Yamato worked Iruka a little further with his fingers, and just as Iruka was about to get frustrated, wanting more, wanting Yamato’s  _ cock _ instead of his fingers _ ,  _ he leaned back one more time.  His gaze met Iruka’s and Yamato whispered, "are you ready?"

Iruka nodded and lifted his legs a little further.  Yamato paused to fumble once more with the bottle and Iruka couldn’t tear his eyes away, his blush returning as Yamato coated his cock thoroughly with the lube.  He added a bit more to Iruka's ass for good measure, and then he was in place and pushing slowly into Iruka’s body.

_ Oh fuck, he’s big _ . That was all Iruka could think at first. Yamato felt huge and all Iruka could focus on was the sensation of being stretched.  He pulled his legs up a little more and wrapped them around Yamato as he worked his cock slowly into Iruka. 

"Fuck, Iruka you're so tight." There was strain in Yamato’s voice that awed Iruka a bit.

Just hearing that eased some of the tension and he focused again on the sensations that felt good. "Don't stop, it feels so good, don't stop, Yamato…" He forced himself to work his muscles around the cock entering him, trying hard to relax a bit more and then the head finally slipped in. A moment later, Yamato had pushed in the rest of the way. 

Good grief, there was nothing to compare to this. Nothing in the world that felt like this did, having someone man inside of him. Iruka briefly wondered if it was specifically Yamato, but he couldn’t think it right through then. Yamato was buried completely, filling him up and… he was trembling, just a little.  _ Trembling _ , Iruka thought,  _ because it feels so good to him too _ .  

Yamato paused, his breath coming in gasps. "So... so tight. You feel so good, Iruka." He paused, seeming to struggle with his breath, then looked down at Iruka. "Are… are you okay?"

Iruka nodded, blushing a little. "Nothing's ever felt like this before." He swallowed hard.  "Ever this…good." He pulled Yamato's face close, their lips meeting in another kiss and then Yamato started to move.

The first time he hit Iruka's prostate with his cock, Iruka thought he was going to go crazy.  Then he backed off a little and though it felt good to have Yamato there inside, it wasn't anything like when he hit the spot.  But when he moved, when he thrust into Iruka, nothing compared to that feeling. And, Iruka had to admit, it was the closeness as much as the physical feeling that felt so good.

Then Yamato leaned up and watched him.  He started thrusting into Iruka again, slowly, and Iruka realized that Yamato was trying to learn the right places to hit, the right angles that made him react.  So, he closed his eyes and just let himself feel. 

This was incredible. Yamato had never experienced anything even remotely close to this before.  The way Iruka fit him was insane. Damned near perfect. He could so easily go off and he didn't want to yet, wasn't ready for this end.  So he concentrated instead on Iruka, watching the facial expressions and the reactions, and learning.

He discovered that too much directly on Iruka's prostate didn't get the same loud moans as it did when he rubbed against it, then backed off, then bumped against it again. When he did that, Iruka dug his nails into Yamato's back, tightened his legs and nearly screamed.  He was certainly not perfect at finding Iruka’s prostate—he was still  _ way _ too new at this and women weren’t built the same way by a long shot—but he managed enough to have Iruka making plenty of wonderful sounds. He found that even if he wasn't hitting Iruka’s prostate, if he thrust faster, Iruka liked it better.

But try as he might, even concentrating so hard on Iruka, he couldn't hold out much longer. The blow job, the long exploration of each others’ bodies, all of it was working against him. He braced himself on one hand, then wrapped the other around Iruka's straining cock and started stroking it in time with his thrusts. "I'm going to come. I can't… much longer…"

"Come, Yamato. Come… inside me, please…" Iruka’s eyes were closed and he rocked his hips, moved with Yamato, the rhythm way too good. A moment later, he let out something akin to a whimper then a moan. "Oh fuck, I'm going to come.” Then, only a few seconds after that, he got a full shout from Iruka. “Now, fuck, coming  _ now!” _ Those nails scratched him hard, the legs tightened around him again. Then Iruka’s cum sprayed them both.

Yamato couldn’t hold out after that. He lost it, too when the muscles clamped around him, milking his cock. With a shout of Iruka’s name, he thrust hard once more as the most intense orgasm he'd ever felt in his life slammed into him.  Several  _ oh fuck _ s slipped out and he thought for a moment he was going to black out, it was so immense. It was like he was exploding into a million tiny pieces, his whole being focused on his cock and the incredible body it was buried in.

He might well have blacked out for just a few seconds.  Because when he could think again, he realized he was collapsed onto Iruka, pinning him and Yamato leaned up quickly. "I'm sorry," he whispered, then pulled at them and rolled, so that Iruka was laying on top of him.  

"It's okay. I didn't mind. It… felt good." Iruka leaned up a little, looking down Yamato’s face while they were still joined.  Their lips met again, softly this time. When they broke apart, Iruka laid his head on Yamato's shoulder, and Yamato stared at the ceiling, his arms wrapped tightly around Iruka, at a complete loss over what had just happened.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that I do not own Naruto, its spinoffs/sequels, the characters, the world, or anything to do with it. I am not writing this to make money and will not take money for it. I think that covers the disclaimer. ;)

What do you say when you just had the most fantastic sex of your life? How do you react to something like that? Especially when it happened with the last person in the world you ever expected it to?

Well, maybe not the  _ last _ . Yamato was, by far, not the last person Iruka had ever thought about having sex with. He was, however, the only  _ man _ Iruka had ever considered being with. And in that moment, he couldn’t ever remember a single woman that made him feel so good.

He looked up to see Yamato watching him. He wasn’t quite sure what was in Yamato’s dark eyes, and his mind was such a mess he couldn’t have figured it out, anyway, so he didn’t even try to understand it.

"Are… are you okay?"

Iruka blushed, looking back down. "More than." He dropped light kisses on Yamato’s chest. Yamato was running his hands gently over Iruka’s back. Normally, he’d have been more than a little worried about that, as overly-conscious of his scar there as he was, but the mess in his head meant he couldn’t summon the mental ability to worry about it. Instead, he tried to sort out his feelings toward what just happened. When he looked up again, there was a smile on Yamato’s face. Their lips met in another kiss. This felt different. This wasn't about the sex, nor about arousal. And it nearly took his breath away in itself. 

They broke apart and he laid his head back down, trying to figure out how to deal with this. He had a feeling he'd just lost his heart to Yamato — a man — and that was something he hadn't imagined could happen. Attraction, yes. Sex? No doubt. Love? He mentally shook himself. No, it was just a reaction to the incredible sex. That's was all. Of course.

Iruka ignored the mental snort he got in response to that.

He shifted his thoughts with effort. They were going to be sticky; that was something he hadn't counted on. But  _ he  _ didn't care. "Um, I made a bit of a mess. Sorry." His face was bright red when he looked back up.

"I couldn't possibly care less." Yamato ran his fingers over Iruka's face, then down over one red cheek before placing another soft kiss on him. "Maybe we can just go take a shower, hmm?"

Iruka nodded and carefully moved off Yamato. He tried to hide the wince at the twinge of pain the movement caused, but was afraid he didn't pull it off. Yamato proved him right when he pulled Iruka against him as they stood. "Did I hurt you?"

Iruka shook his head. "Just a little… sore. Well, not really just… I don’t know." He sighed in frustration. "No. It doesn't hurt. It's just… a little tender, I guess. I'll be fine."

Yamato considered him a moment, then leaned in and whispered, "That's good, because I'd hate to think I ruined it for you. I'd really like to be able to be with you again." He dropped a kiss on that spot behind Iruka’s ear. "And again." Then nibbled on his neck. "And again."

Iruka closed his eyes. Good grief, that voice was sexy when Yamato talked like that. Incredibly, Iruka’s cock started to respond to it and he swallowed hard. He smiled, a little shyly and looked over at Yamato. "You don't have anything to worry about. It was most certainly  _ not _ ruined and, in fact, I'm pretty confident that if you've ruined anything for me, well, it's…" He paused and cleared his throat. "Women."

He turned away to hide the blush and took a few steps toward the bathroom. It took him a second to realize Yamato wasn't with him. He turned back to see a stunned look on Yamato's face. "What?" he asked, cheeks heating.

Yamato shook his head, a smile spreading. He caught up to Iruka, putting both arms around him again. "That just makes me feel good to hear, is all." He paused and said into Iruka’s ear, "I can't imagine wanting anyone else, either."

Iruka's color darkened. "Now you're just making fun." He turned away and reached in to turn the water on in the shower, but before he could manage it, Yamato pulled him back once more.

"No. I'm not. Look, neither of us understands all of this, I'm sure. This is completely new territory." When Iruka nodded at that, Yamato said, "let's just take what  _ is. _ And this…" He paused to lay his lips over Iruka’s and the kiss heated. A moment later, they broke apart with effort. "This is.” He waved a hand between them. “We know the physical is good. It works. We'll worry about the rest later, okay?"

Iruka swallowed, trying to find his breath, still a bit thrown off from the kiss —h ow did Yamato  _ do _ that with just a kiss? When Iruka could reasonably take air in again, he finally replied. "Okay."

They climbed in together, and Iruka  _ tried _ to concentrate on just getting clean. But before he could do more than get his hair wet, Yamato had picked up the shampoo bottle and was pouring some into his hand. A moment later, he was massaging the shampoo into Iruka’s scalp and Iruka couldn't hold in the moan. "Oh  _ fuck _ , that feels good." He'd never had his hair washed like that before, never had it be such a sexual experience. He'd never be able to wash it again without thinking about Yamato doing it for him, he was sure of it.

When they’d rinsed his hair, he picked up the washcloth, intending to start the process of cleaning himself, but Yamato took it from him and ran it over Iruka's body instead. He took his time, touching everything, and by the time Iruka was clean, he was thoroughly aroused again. They leaned in together again, kissing softly, but Iruka pulled back. 

Yamato wasn't the only one that got to run his hands over his lover's body. Iruka pushed him back against the tiles and gave as good as Yamato had given him. He was as thorough as Yamato was, and as soon as he was rinsed, Iruka replaced his hands with his mouth, wanting again to taste.

But before they could do much more, the water started to run cold. They hurried out of the shower and turned to each other with towels. Of course before either of them was fully dry, that devolved too, and only a moment or two later, they were back on the bed.

The heat between them built quickly, and Yamato groaned when Iruka bit at his skin. Yamato took that as Iruka wanting more. He was having a hard time holding back himself and he decided not to even try to fight the need.  Before he knew it, Yamato was pressed flush against Iruka, hard cock pinned between them as he worked slick fingers into Iruka’s ass. He made sure Iruka was ready, but only a moment later, he had Iruka turned around and bent over and was pushing slowly into Iruka’s tight heat. The moaned “fuck” was probably louder than it should have been but Yamato couldn’t hold it back as he buried his cock once more in Iruka’s incredible body. He nipped at the shoulder in front of him, and wrapped his arm around Iruka’s waist as he started to thrust. 

"Yes, more, Yamato. Faster, harder,  _ please... _ ," Iruka nearly begged.

Yamato gave him what he wanted, but it was so hard to hold on when Iruka’s sexy voice called his name. The feel of this man was so much more than he ever expected, so much more than he could have imagined. "Iruka...” Yamato grunted. “I — I won't hold on long," he warned as he wrapped his hand around Iruka's cock and started stroking it, determined to feel him come first.

"Fuck!  _ Fuck _ ! That's so good. Yamato!" Iruka bucked against him, meeting him thrust for thrust and despite his attempts to hold on, Yamato knew he wasn't going to make it.

"Come, Iruka.  _ Now!" _ It must have been something in his voice because, thankfully, Iruka started to shudder. 

Iruka shouted his name and came hard, his body shaking with his climax.

Yamato let go of his control then and his own orgasm crashed into him. He slammed once more into Iruka’s body and shouted with it as he pumped his lover full of cum. 

He collapsed against Iruka’s back, holding him close, trying to find normal breathing. Yamato’s heart was pounding incredibly fast and he simply could not think. When he found his brain he leaned up enough to drop light kisses across Iruka's skin. Iruka turned his head and he left a few more on his cheek. 

As he eased back, Iruka pulled the towel out from under him. Then they lay down, curling into each other, legs tangled, arms wrapped around each other. Yamato couldn't think of a single thing to say and suspected, based on Iruka’s silence, he felt the same way. What  _ could _ they say? It had been just as hard, just as powerful, if in a different way, as the first time.

Iruka tugged at the blanket that had gotten kicked to the bottom of the bed and together they pulled it up over them. He looked up at Yamato after they settled and their gazes met. There was a world of meaning in those dark eyes, meaning Iruka couldn’t begin to really understand. He was sure there was probably just as much in his. They kissed, another one of those soft ones, the kind that had more behind it than he would have liked there to be. At least for his part, because he couldn’t hide it and he wasn't quite ready for Yamato to see it all.

He'd never been very adept at hiding his emotions. And being blindsided by all of this as he’d been made it even more difficult. He wondered what he'd look like if he looked in the mirror. What did Yamato see?

If he knew that, then maybe he could understand better what was in his own mind and heart. Because he just wasn't sure.

Confusion. Yamato had seen confusion, a bit of fear, and a whole host of emotions that he couldn't begin to name. He wondered if those same things showed in his own eyes.

He knew the confusion, knew the fear. This… Iruka… nothing he'd ever done, no relationship he'd ever had prepared him for something like this. Dating had been sporadic at best and he’d never been very adept at them in the first place. Throwing someone of the same gender into the mix confused him even more. That was ridiculous and Yamato could admit that. Having his partner as the same sex shouldn’t make things all that much more complicated. But he couldn’t seem to quiet that thought and it added more onto the pile. He didn't have the first idea how to handle it, which was a big part of what scared him. He didn't like not knowing how to handle something, not knowing what to do. 

Yamato never questioned himself on a mission, never wondered which person to send in to do something. He didn’t hesitate to do a jutsu. He just did it. 

But this, he was entirely out of his element. It seemed it didn’t matter if the other person was male or female. He was as lost no matter which it was.

Iruka tucked his head under Yamato's chin and Yamato tightened both arms around him. What the hell was he going to do with all of this? There was no doubt that they couldn’t turn back now. This was no drunken experience; this was no accident. They'd gone into this with their eyes wide open.

And he was so confused about what to do because he cared, very much, for the man he'd just been with. Been with… that was the best way he could come up with to call it. They'd certainly done more than fucked. There was no doubt about that. Did they call it making love? Did he love Iruka?

He wasn't ready to answer a question like that. Not in his own head, much less out loud. He swallowed. He didn't know what labels to put on it, didn't know what he could do beyond this. The only thing Yamato knew was that he didn't want to be without Iruka. And maybe that's all he needed to think about for the time being. He reminded himself to think about  _ what was _ , not what might be.

"Will you stay?" Iruka asked quietly.

He tightened his arms around Iruka again. How could he answer that? What could he say that didn't immediately give away just how confused he was by all of this? Because the first thought he had — the one that jumped up at him was what he would normally do — he'd get up and slip out. And the immediate reaction to that thought was " _ hell no, don’t go _ !" On the other hand, he wasn't ready to say something like "absolutely! Try to make me leave!" out loud either. Even if that was the second thing he thought.

"Yes," was all he could manage and he dropped a kiss on top of Iruka's head. Iruka nodded and Yamato had a feeling that Iruka understood at least some of the chaotic mess in Yamato’s head.

He had no idea when he finally fell asleep.

Iruka couldn't remember the last time he woke up next to someone. The drunken experience a couple of weeks ago hardly counted. He'd had very few relationships over the years and even fewer times when they ended up spending the night together.

And he didn't think any of them had been a first date. That was definitely a new one. He was getting a lot of new experiences this weekend.

Like dating a man. That was brand new. Having dinner with him, making out in a movie theater with him. Then there was the sex, good grief, the sex the night before. Iruka’s face warmed and his cock, which had been partially awake already, sprang to full attention.

He swallowed, trying to shift his thoughts, but they stayed firmly on the night before. Yamato kissing him, Yamato’s mouth on him, Yamato  _ inside _ him. And as Iruka had these thoughts, his cock twitched and even his ass fluttered in reaction to the memories. He couldn't believe how much he'd enjoyed all of that. His face got even hotter when he remembered just  _ how _ he'd reacted to some of it. 

Iruka closed his eyes, savoring the feel of being in Yamato’s arms. He was currently spooning Iruka and he couldn't miss the morning erection against his ass. That only made things worse.

He was afraid to move though. It felt like Yamato was still sleeping and Iruka didn't want to wake him up if he was. Instead, Iruka paid attention to Yamato’s even breathing, the breath as it blew across Iruka’s neck, the way Yamato’s arms were wrapped around him, holding him tight. 

And he couldn't remember ever feeling better in his entire life. 

That scared him, more than a little. Could something like this last? Could they be together? Would Yamato want to? Did  _ he _ want to? 

He could admit that much. He did want to be together. He didn't want this to end, whatever it was. He didn't want to see Yamato walk away and not look back. That was something he allowed himself to think. He wasn't ready to examine it beyond that. Right now, like Yamato said last night, right now, they could concentrate on what  _ already was.  _ Anything else would happen as it does. 

The future was too unsure for shinobi, as it was. He couldn't forget, either, the fact that Yamato was ANBU. He could disappear at any time and not come back for weeks. Months, even. And Iruka would have no idea how long he'd be gone or what kind of mission it was. He'd just know it was ANBU and that meant danger, beyond anything a normal mission could be. 

The most he could hope for was that he'd know beforehand that Yamato was leaving on an ANBU mission. That he could know  _ why _ Yamato was disappearing. That could be an absolute nightmare. Because it might also mean that he simply wouldn't come back. There were no corpses to bury from ANBU. Only single code names on the memorial stone. 

Iruka shook himself mentally. He couldn't, wouldn't think about that right now. It was true that missions had been slower lately with the rebuilding. It was true that normal missions had taken a backseat even to basic stuff and so he could hope, at least for a while, that was all Yamato would get.

The alternative was just not something Iruka was ready to deal with. Because it meant he had to examine just  _ why _ the thought of this man taking off and never coming back caused his heart to pound and the old grief to want to surface.

No. Iruka was unequivocally  _ not _ ready for that yet. Besides, it wasn't that he loved Yamato. A person didn't fall in love with someone after one date and one night of sex. Nope, not at all.

Iruka forced his thoughts back to the present, back to the immediate past. What had happened the night before was outside anything he'd ever experienced. He'd told Yamato that he'd spoiled Iruka for women. And that was probably very true. But Iruka somehow didn't think that things would be the same with just any man either.

He'd reacted to  _ this _ man. Yamato. Period. He couldn't remember anyone, man or woman, making him feel the way Yamato did with just a touch. Making him react that way from just a basic kiss.

And oh  _ fuck _ , had he. Iruka had managed to distract his mind from the sex for a few moments, but that didn't last. It was firmly back there, just  _ too much  _ to ignore. And so it went back to the cock that had done insane things to him inside and out, had tasted so good. The lips that had driven him insane. The voice that could make his own cock go hard just from  _ speaking _ . 

And the man they all belonged to.

Just like that, Iruka’s heart was pounding and he was having trouble breathing. Just like that, he couldn't think of anything besides having Yamato buried inside him again. All he wanted was to feel those lips on his, that tongue slide along his once more, the feel of those teeth nibbling on his skin.

He had to force his thoughts onto something else. At the rate he was going, he'd end up coming from a fantasy! From memories! Good  _ grief _ ! He swallowed hard and tried to think of something to help him calm down.

"Good morning." Well, there was the voice Iruka wanted. His cock jumped and he closed his eyes, desperately trying for some semblance of control, which seemed ridiculously absent. And that damned voice was even deeper in the morning.

"Good… good morning," Iruka managed.

Yamato started running his lips along Iruka’s shoulder, then nibbling gently with his teeth. Iruka swallowed hard and shifted against Yamato, looking over his shoulder. Yamato’s dark eyes had a bit of a devilish gleam to them as he looked up at Iruka. "How are you feeling?"

_ Like I want to push you over and fuck your brains out?  _ "I'm…" Iruka closed his eyes and moaned when Yamato started sucking at a spot on his back. He'd have a mark there, probably to go with the collection that was already on his chest. "Good…" Iruka said, finally remembering to finish his reply. He swallowed hard. "Your mouth should be registered as a lethal weapon."

Yamato chuckled and even  _ that _ managed to sound sexy. Good grief. "I can't say I've been told that before." He bit and nibbled his way down Iruka's arm, sitting up a bit in the process. Iruka rolled a little, looking up into the dark eyes again and Yamato moved to him, their lips meeting, the kiss exploding between them.

Iruka moaned at it. He twisted a little more until he was on his back completely and he hooked a leg around Yamato, pulling until the weight was settled on top of him. "I want you again.  _ Please _ …," Iruka moaned as their cocks brushed against each other.

Yamato all but whimpered. "You're going to kill me," he said with a chuckle, then attacked Iruka's lips again.

He wiggled around until his legs were around Yamato. He ran his hands over Yamato’s back, and paused when he felt welts. He leaned up and, peering over Yamato’s shoulder, saw long scratch marks all over Yamato’s back. He nearly died of embarrassment. "Oh! I'm sorry!" He had no idea how he’d missed them in the shower the night before, but apparently he’d been just a bit too preoccupied. He buried his now very hot face in Yamato's chest. 

"What for?" There was real puzzlement in Yamato’s voice.

"Your back," Iruka said into the skin.

Yamato pulled back and glanced over his shoulder, then looked down into Iruka's face. "I'm not," he said with a chuckle. He bent and kissed Iruka again and a moment later, Iruka managed to forget all about his embarrassment. Yamato shifted and their cocks rubbed against each other again.

Iruka moaned. "Oh fuck, that feels good." He nibbled at Yamato's neck, found the spot he'd discovered the night before near the base of Yamato’s throat and sucked again. There were already several bruises along that part and Iruka couldn't help but grin a little at the sight.

 

"I need you," Yamato groaned. He grabbed the bottle off the bedside table and coated his fingers with it, unable to wait another moment. He’d awakened hard as a rock, the smell of Iruka’s shampoo filling his senses, the feel of that soft hair against his skin doing insane things to him. And all in a completely  _ non _ -drunken state, the exact opposite of the two weeks prior.

Then he’d registered Iruka's heart pounding and breathing heavy and Yamato had known he was remembering the night before. Between the smell and feel and his own memories of the sex, he’d been trying hard to keep from simply pinning Iruka to the bed and just taking him. Then Iruka’s sexy deep morning voice had spoken, just that "Good morning" and it had taken Yamato’s already fraying control and pushed it to all but the breaking point.

So hearing Iruka’s  _ please _ meant he could gather a little bit of that control again so he wasn’t a complete animal. He set the bottle aside then reached between them and found the tight muscle he was looking for. He remembered himself enough to try one finger first, but when it slipped in easily, he added a second, then curved them, looking for Iruka’s prostate. He still wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing, but he’d managed the night before, so—

" _ Oh fuck yes _ ."

Well, that was good. Feeling a little more confident, Yamato worked his fingers, stretching Iruka as much as he could. Iruka seemed to still be a little open from the night before, so when Iruka moaned again, demanding Yamato stop fucking  _ with _ him, and just  _ fuck _ him, Yamato gave in with a half chuckle. Determined he wouldn’t hurt Iruka, he restrained himself enough to use the lube again, coating his cock before pushing into Iruka’s body.

Yamato managed to not go off before Iruka, but it was damned close. His tenuous control had slipped even further just from being inside Iruka but he’d managed. He didn’t even remember stroking Iruka’s cock, but the whole thing went so fast, it was something of a blur anyway. When it was over, he was, once more lying on Iruka, unable to breathe, think, see or hear. The only thing he was aware of was the body still surrounding him and the minor tremors as his orgasm faded. 

He had no idea how long he lay there, Iruka's legs and arms wrapped around him, his face buried in Iruka's neck. He couldn't seem to move, not that he wanted to. He needed to, though. It couldn't possibly be comfortable for Iruka to hold his weight like that.

He searched around his head and finally found his brain. It was hanging out with his voice in the break room by the water cooler. "You're going to kill me."

Iruka's breath was coming in gasps. "If you don’t kill me first. What just happened?" 

"You mean besides the fact that we had sex again?" Yamato asked Iruka's neck.

"No, you never touched me. I mean—my—" Iruka shook his head.

Apparently, he  _ hadn’t  _ stroked Iruka’s cock. "I have no idea. Should I feel proud?" Yamato asked, chuckling to cover up his surprise — and at feeling a bit ignorant yet again of how sex between men worked.

Bad idea. Iruka tightened his legs at that and flexed his other muscles, tightening  _ other _ things too. Yamato nearly choked. "Sorry! Sorry. Good to know you won't let me get too full of myself."

Iruka chuckled, releasing him. "I... just didn't think that was possible."

Yamato swallowed, trying to remember how to breathe . "I don't know. Nothing I read said anything like that." He leaned up and Iruka let him go. "Was it… bad?" Yamato asked.

Iruka shook his head quickly. "No, no, definitely not. Just… a surprise." He stared at the ceiling a moment, then looked at him. "Wait, you read?"

Yamato blushed and shifted, pulling back and laying on the bed next to the other man. "Yes. I…" he cleared his throat. "I had no idea what…well, I mean, how it…" He gave up, his mouth snapping closed.

Iruka rolled onto his side, tugging on Yamato's chin. When Yamato looked over, he said, "so did I. I… didn't want to…" he swallowed hard. "I didn't want you to be disappointed." He ducked his head, burying his face, hiding his blush.

Yamato decided that hiding what he did —or didn’t—know about sex between men wouldn’t help either of them and that researching wasn’t anything to be embarrassed about.  "Same reason I did the reading I did," he said, hoping to make Iruka feel better. "And, I think we need another shower," he said to change the subject. 

Iruka looked up, a grateful expression on his face. "Well, I think we can do that. Then how about I make us something to eat?"

 


End file.
